


Working Girl

by AKUMA_jpg



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:02:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24713551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKUMA_jpg/pseuds/AKUMA_jpg
Summary: Lawyer Joohyun becomes SM corps. new lawyer, working for CEO Kang Daesung. She meets his daughter and COO, Kang Seulgi, a charming, sweet, and kind businesswoman. Together they navigate through relationships and work life. (fluffy with a squint of angst) :o
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kang Seulgi, Park Sooyoung | Joy/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Comments: 5
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know there are a lot of Red Velvet CEO AUs out there already, but I just really love this dynamic! A Seulrene love story just in time for the Seulrene comeback coming in July. :)

The low light of the lamp placed on the end of her desk illuminated the stark white papers scattered throughout her office. Out of the 3 years shes worked at this firm, she never forgets all the sleepless nights she spends researching for her cases and editing her arguments. But it all seemed worth it when she would be in the courtroom taking action and fighting for her case.

Joohyun was always a competitive person. Even when she was young she would spend hours at the arcade just to beat her sister’s high score. And in middle school when she tried to carry the most books because her teacher told her only strong boys could carry them. And again in high school when she lead the school’s small debate team to a national title. Joohyun loved proving people wrong in every sense, whether it be breaking misogynistic stereotypes or just in spite of other people’s doubt about her. 

But there are always two sides to a coin, that day in middle school, she nearly collapsed in exhaustion from carrying over 80 textbooks to and from the library. Also like that time she won a criminal case for a rather wealthy political figure under fire for a sexual assault charge (that he was obviously guilty for) and the victim never sought justice. As much as Joohyun loved a well-earned victory, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for the people who had lost and what they had on the line. When she was younger she was the underdog, in law school, crawling up the ranks, spending every spare minute reading, studying, and perfecting her performance. But now, in court, she often went against the underdogs and won, crushing any remaining semblance of hope the opposing side had. She worked in an industry of “kill or be killed” and she had to fight in order to survive, whether she liked it or not. 

Her hard work had brought her to one of South Korea’s top firms and she wasn’t complaining. Coming from Daegu, being raised in a family restaurant with her mother, father, and sister, meant she didn’t necessarily come from a lot of money, so getting into this firm was an imperative turning point for her career. 

\---

Groaning as she opens the door to her apartment, she quickly rids herself of her shoes at the entrance and plops down face first on the couch. 

Her roommate, Seungwan, was stationed in the kitchen cooking ramen for the both of them, still in her hospital scrubs.

“Tough day huh?” Seungwan questions, while stirring the uncooked noodles in the boiling pot. 

“Yeah, I spent all day filling out paperwork and looking at client case files.” She lets out another groan and makes her way over to the kitchen to check on the progress of the ramen. 

“Well sounds better than last week when you had back-to-back court days and got like 2 hours of sleep.” Seungwan counters. “Here, ramen’s done.”

“Finally.” Joohyun grins from ear to ear when the warm bowl placed in front of her. 

“So, how’s your love life these days?” Seungwan brings up after Joohyun devours half her bowl by now. 

“Oh common,” Joohyun groans for the third time this night. “You know I barely have enough time to get my work life in order, how could I possibly squeeze in a relationship?”

“Well, I’m just saying, Hyunnie, it’s been a long time since you’ve seen someone, and one night stands don’t count.” 

“I’m perfectly content with being alone at the moment, I don’t need another person to be dependent on.” Joohyun rebuts. 

“Well, that’s a shame really. I know some nice people you could meet, but it seems you’ve made up your mind.” Seungwan answers nonchalantly, grabbing some noodles onto her chopsticks and blowing on them. 

Once they finish dinner and cleaning up, the roommates retire to their respective rooms and nightfall blankets the city of Seoul. Joohyun is more than ready to get into bed and sleep off her work stress and tiredness, but she couldn’t help but think of what Seungwan had said at dinner. 

The very little experience Joohyun had with relationships was enough to teach her that they required a lot of energy and effort in order to be healthy and functional. Her first relationship was with a boy in high school. A boy, named Junmeyeon, had asked her out shyly and she said yes. About a week into their relationship, Junmyeon broke up with her, he told her she was too headstrong. Of course, she had taken offense to that comment, Joohyun was prideful in her ability to fight for what she believed in. She tried not to take it that hard considering he was probably just insecure and she was never really into men anyways. 

Her second relationship was in her last year of college, she dated a business major named Jennie Kim. Their relationship would be described as short and sweet, being a law school student, Joohyun had to devote most of her time into her academics and although she and Jennie were good together, they had both agreed it’d be best to split ways. Since then, Joohyun solely focused on her career but she couldn’t ignore the pang of loneliness that coursed through her whenever she saw a couple holding hands or each other in public. 

Just as her eyes started to feel heavy and her body was ready to sleep, the loud ringtone of her phone rang through her ears. Aggressively moving over to her bedside table to see who was calling her at this hour, Joohyun picks up the phone. 

“Hello?” Tiredness still very prevalent in her voice as she answered. 

“Ah, Joohyun-ah, how are things in Seoul? How are things at the firm?” Her father’s voice booms through her phone speakers. 

“Huh? Appa, why are you calling me at 12:00?” Joohyun says in disbelief that Daegu chef would check on her this late.

“Mmm, I just wanted to see how our little lawyer was doing.”

“Honey, stop bothering Joohyunnie. She’s probably tired from all the work she has.” She hears her mother say somewhere in the background. 

“Yeah, what are you guys doing up this late?” Joohyun questions.

“Ah, we were just catching up on some seasonal K-drama, ya’ know.” Her father responds. “Well, Joohyun-ah, I’ll let you get back to sleep, just wanted to check in on you, everything good over there? How’s Seungwan?” 

Her parents were very familiar with Seungwan, they had been roommates ever since college and but instead of living together in a cramped dorm, they later moved into a larger apartment. 

“Hmmm, she’s good, she’s working hard at the hospital… ” 

“Oh! The K-drama just got good. I gotta go Joohyun-ah! Bye!” Her father says quickly before abruptly hanging up. 

She lets out a sigh and moves over to plug her phone into its charger before finally getting to sleep. 

\---

Joohyun was sweating buckets at this point, even though she’s worked in this successful firm for over a year now, she’d be meeting with one of her most important clients yet. She would be Kang Daesung’s new business lawyer, Kang Daesung of SM corp. This was huge for her. She could feel the small beads of sweat travel down the back of her neck as she made her way to the receptionist’s desk.

“Uhh… Hi,” Joohyun awkwardly smiles. “I’m here to see Kang Daesung-nim, I’m uhh … Bae Joohyun…” And although she was never one to stutter, the nerves got to her and she fell back into old habits. 

The door to the left to the receptionist swung open aggressively, startling the young lawyer. A taller woman with chestnut brown hair, beautiful monolids, full cheeks, and long legs hurriedly makes her way out of the office when a woman just a bit taller, with stark black long hair and red lips, quickly moves to grab her arm.

“Ah! Sooyoung-ah, I already told you, I can’t cover for you at the gala, I already have a butt load of shareholders I gotta tend to.” The bear-like woman says exasperatedly.

“Come on,” Sooyoung whines. “It’s just for one night, and it’s been months since I’ve been on a date unnie!”

“Ugh, fine”

“YES! Thank you Ddeulgi! You’re the best wing-woman ever!” Sooyoung emotes, pressing a kiss on her cheek.

“You’re insufferable…” Seulgi finishes, rolling her eyes.

At this point it was obvious Joohyun was staring at this woman, quickly looking away once their eyes meet. With perfect timing, “Ms. Bae, Mr. Kang will see you know.”

As Joohyun makes her through the office, she tries to ignore the stares the handsome woman gives her as she walks past her, but she suddenly realizes the woman is following closely behind. She calmly walks to the conference room but before she reaches the door, the woman cuts in front of her swiftly opening it for her, flashing her a sweet toothy smile. 

“The names Seulgi, and I assume you’re the new lawyer Daesung’s hired?” Seulgi questions casually. 

Startled by this girl’s informality, “Uh yeah. Bae Joohyun.” She responds extending her hand. 

“Ah, he never mentioned the new lawyer would be so cute.” Seulgi quips, shaking her hand with two of her own. 

Joohyun couldn’t fight the blush that rises to her cheeks in reply to the business woman’s flirts, as her smaller hand gets engulfed by Seulgi’s two larger ones. Once they finish their handshake, Joohyun quickly passes by her, eyes trained to the floor. Once she seats herself in one of the seats along the long part of the conference table. She looks up to see an older man with graying hair on the sides of his head and a familiar warm look in his facial features. 

“Ah, Ms. Bae! It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.” The man booms through the large office. That was it, the CEO reminded her of her father, with the way he greeted her with exclamation and enthusiasm, and the glint of sincerity in his eyes. “And I see you’ve already met Seulgi, I hope she didn’t scare you too much.” He grins cheekily. 

“Of course not father,” The businesswoman rolls her eyes again while smiling. “I’m actually a very charming person.” Seulgi adds before taking a seat across from Joohyun, as Daesung chuckles in his seat.

Joohyun tried to hide the surprise that she felt when finding out the two were closely related. She couldn’t help but start to see the jarring resemblance between the father and daughter. Like Seulgi, when the man smiled wide, his eyes closed slightly and they both had monolids and full cheeks, making them bear-like. 

“Cute.” She thought to herself when she thought of the smile Seulgi beamed at her earlier. 

“So, as you know, SM corp is a very large company, with an admirable amount of expecting shareholders.” Daesung interrupts the silence. “And I heard through the grapevine that you’re quite clever when it comes to the legal matters of diplomatic trade exchange between multinational companies…”

“Yes, I attended Seoul National University for law and have handled many cases like this before,” Joohyun responds, more confident than earlier. Seulgi had obviously tuned out of their conversation at this point, doodling something on a notepad. 

“Great! I’ve read your files and I look forward to working with you,” He responds with a warm smile. “For now, I just wanted us to get acquainted. My secretary will keep in contact with you and send you any further details. Now if you excuse me, unfortunately, I’ve got another meeting to attend to. It was a pleasure meeting you Ms. Bae.” Daesung says very quickly before getting up to shake her hand and make his way out of the conference room. 

Joohyun finally exhales once he leaves the room and simply stares at the woman still drawing in front of her. 

“Kang Seulgi, COO of SM corp, 26, also attended Seoul National University but for business, and also I like pringles.” She delivers quickly still deeply focused on her doodling. 

Still astonished by the COO’s informality and casual approach towards her, she quickly responds, “Nice to meet you too.” awkwardly in response to Seulgi’s straight-forwardness. 

Wrapping up the pleasantries between the two women who just met, Joohyun leaves the room. Eager to leave the now awkward atmosphere, she heads toward the secretary in case she wanted to share any important papers before she heads back to the firm. 

“That should be all,” The secretary smiles. “Oh and before I forget, Mr. Kang would like you to attend the annual gala held at the end of the month.” She ends, handing Joohyun an elegant white envelope with her name written in gold calligraphy. She just shoves somewhere in her pantsuit, briskly finishing the conversation. 

She quickly gathers all the recently exchanged papers before making her way to her car, wanting nothing more than to drop everything off at the firm and head home to her warm apartment and bed. Once she enters the complex and leaves her shoes at the door, she doesn’t hesitate to run to her room. Today was a Wednesday which meant Seungwan was getting home later, meaning she had the night to herself. She lands face first on her bed, feeling the firm envelope press against the inside of her pocket. Groaning, she takes out the expensive-looking piece of stationary, flipping it open.

“Great,” She sarcastically thought to her self. “Now another date to pack into my schedule… “ She knew working with SM corp was going to be interesting, to say the least. But the image of Seulgi’s warm smile wouldn’t leave the back of her mind, at least she’d be able to see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joohyun and Seulgi run into each other outside the office, it must be fate...

The Kangs were not always as high class as they were now, flashback to 40 years ago when Daesung was a newlywed simple salaryman who had big dreams and lots of ideas. His passion and devotion to his enterprise are what made SM corp in the large multi-million dollar company it was now. And in the midst of all this, Seulgi was born. 

Daesung was an ambitious man with a big heart and it was always a goal of his to have a big family. It was heartbreaking to hear that it would be hard for his wife and him to deliver children. Many doctors told them that it was unlikely they’d get pregnant, but they still continued to try. 

Daesung was in the middle of a huge deal with JYP enterprises when he got a call from the hospital telling him his wife was pregnant. It was the happiest day of his life, apart from the day baby Kang was born… 

Baby Seulgi was not what he had expected, she was a spitting image of him. The tiny Kang was never not hungry and always asked for seconds at the dinner table. The small family would always joke that she was Daesung’s female clone, they both had the Kang trademarked monolids, full cheeks, and energetic personalities. 

However, in school, she was the opposite of him. Daesung was a more reserved and shy kid that later came out of his shell in college, where Seulgi was a social butterfly. He’d always get compliments on how Seulgi was kind to all the students and an eager learner. 

It became very apparent that she had too much energy than she knew what to do with, so he was quick to sign her up for dance lessons. Seulgi had always approached things with optimism and thrived in the dance environment, but Daesung couldn’t help but think she’d make a great leader, being heir to the SM company.

However, Seulgi wasn’t exactly enthused when her father expressed that he wanted her to take on the family business. She didn’t have any objections though and wanted nothing more than to make her family proud, working hard in high school. 

\---

Just like Daesung, Seulgi was rather dashing when it came to looks. Girls  _ and  _ boys at her school were very interested in getting closer to the future heir of SM corp. Seulgi’s first relationship was with a cute, shy Japanese exchange student named Myoui Mina. She liked it when Mina would shyly grab her hand when she walked her to her next class, and how she would blush whenever she would see Seulgi waiting for her after school to walk her home. But about a year into their relationship, the two had realized they had little in common and decided to break up and stay friends. 

“Ah, what a shame, I really liked Myoui.” Sooyoung sighed when Seulgi broke the news to her. 

Sooyoung and Seulgi had been close ever since the beginning of high school. The two best friends blended well, with Sooyoung’s charm and Seulgi’s no-jam tendencies. Which lead to them later attending Seoul National University, both majoring in business. Unlike Seulgi, Sooyoung had an actual interest in business, she loved the negotiation process of it all and the thrill of making a deal. 

The young Kang in college was a lot more carefree than she had been in high school. Although she loved her parents to death, she felt free to get out of the house and live on her own. She did a lot of self-exploring in college, finding things she was actually good at instead of training to be SM’s new CEO. She was still good at dancing, a skill she was taught from a young age, and she really seemed to enjoy making art. Whether it be sketches, painting, or collages, she enjoyed it all, polishing her technique. 

In the middle of her second year at school, she met a very smart woman named Lee Sunmi. Sunmi was a medical student with killer looks and breathtaking beauty, and she becomes Seulgi’s second girlfriend later that year. Things with Sunmi felt right, talking with her just felt so easy and they were both whipped for each other.

After 1 year of being together, Sunmi decided to study abroad for her last year in college. She had been given an opportunity to study at one of the most prestigious medical schools in the world and Seulgi wasn’t just about to keep her from her dream. They parted ways with a rather bitter ending to their short love story, Seulgi didn’t want her to go but she also didn’t want to keep her from moving forward, so she broke things off for the sake of both their hearts. 

After graduating from college, she went straight into SM. Her father beyond happy to have her finally working under the family company, and before she knew it she had been working there for 4+ years. 

\---

It was 1:30 in the afternoon when Seulgi looked blankly at the number of unopened emails in her inbox that needed to be thoroughly read and responded to when Sooyoung bursts through her office doors. 

“Seulgi-unnie!” Sooyoung nearly yells. “I have a date! A date! Like with an actual girl!” 

Startled by the sudden intrusion, Seulgi looks up with confusion written across her face. “With who? I thought this year you said you were gonna work on yourself?” 

“Don’t you know that’s just what salty single people say as an excuse unnie,” Sooyoung rolls her eyes at the still confused looking bear sitting at her desk. 

“Who are you going out with?”

“This girl, she’s really smart, pretty, and perfect.” Sooyoung smiles to herself.

“Oh god, you have it bad,” Seulgi says with a sly grin replacing the confused look. 

“Yah Seulgi-ah! Don’t tease me!” She says hitting Seulgi’s arm. 

“So when’s the date?” She says still laughing at the younger girl’s denial. 

“Uhh… About that,” Sooyoung laughs nervously fiddling with her fingers.

“What now?” Seulgi groans, sensing the businesswoman was about to ask her for a favor. 

“Well, ya see…” Sooyoung approaches slowly. “The day we’re going out, which also happens to be the only night she’s free, also lands on the day of the gala…”

With Seulgi being the COO and Sooyoung being the VP of SM corp, they were both very important figures in the company. That meant if Sooyoung couldn’t attend the annual business gala, she’d be missing a chance to negotiate with other large companies and talk to the shareholders of SM in an attempt to get them to increase the amount of money they currently invest in the company. 

It was less like a gala and more like a business meeting with booze and dancing. It also meant if Sooyoung wasn’t there, Seulgi had to do all the talking. In the past, she had normally handled the small talk while Sooyoung charmed the old businessmen into giving them more money. 

“Ugh… There’s no way you can just leave me!” Seulgi says getting genuinely scared thinking about all the boring conversations about stock she’s going to have to participate in if Sooyoung doesn’t go. “We both agreed that this year we were going to divide the shareholders between the both of us since we’ve nearly doubled the amount from last year.” 

“I know…” She says looking at the ground, afraid to meet the angry glare Seulgi was giving her. “But I really like this girl and…” Being cut off by the sight of the older girl making her way to the door, she quickly gets up to grab her by the arm. 

“Ah! Sooyoung-ah, I already told you, I can’t cover for you at the gala, I already have a butt load of shareholders I gotta tend to.” Seulgi repeats, bringing her hand to her forehead in annoyance. 

Seulgi’s quick to notice when the receptionist and co-workers giving her weird looks. Wearing down to Sooyoung’s nagging, she caves in and agrees to cover for her on the night of the gala. Once Sooyoung happily leaves to head back to her office, Seulgi spot a very small and very pretty woman sitting in one of the chairs across from the receptionist’s desk. She catches her staring at her and assumes its because Sooyoung and she just loudly exited her office. 

Her ears perk up when the receptionist calls for the mystery woman and tells her, “Ms. Bae, Mr. Kang will see you know.”. Then it hits her, “Ms. Bae” was the new lawyer her father had hired to help out with some big business deals coming up. 

\---

_ “Seulgi, on Wednesday, there’s a meeting I want you to attend.” _ Her father said to her while she was busy in her office, reviewing last month’s business reports. 

_ “Mmm? What for?” _ She absentmindedly responds, still focused on her paperwork.

_ “I want you to get acquainted with the new lawyer we’ve hired. Alright?” _

_ “Mhm, sounds good,” _ She answers, still not fully paying attention as her dad leaves, closing the door behind him.

\---

Just before the pretty woman reaches the door, Seulgi slips in front to open it for her. She gives her a smile, trying to ignore how fast her heart was beating. 

“The names Seulgi, and I assume you’re the new lawyer Daesung’s hired?” Seulgi asks even though she knows the answer. 

“Uh yeah. Bae Joohyun.” Joohyun replies, holding out one of her small hands. 

“Ah, he never mentioned the new lawyer would be so cute.” Seulgi flirts, wrapping the lawyer’s small porcelain hand with her bigger hands. Heart pounding through her ears when she sees the shorter woman look at the gound and blush, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

Taking a longer look at her, she noticed Joohyuns features were just naturally beautiful. She had a small pale face, a cute button nose, and beautiful large doe eyes. Seulgi was looking at her for what felt like hours until Joohyun continued her way through the door. 

“Ah, Ms. Bae! It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.” Daesung booms through the large office. “And I see you’ve already met Seulgi, I hope she didn’t scare you too much.” He grins, satisfied with ruthlessly teasing his daughter. 

“Of course not father,” Seulgi rolls her eyes, heartbeat still beating impossibly faster at the thought of her father catching her staring a the lawyer. “I’m actually a  _ very _ charming person,” She adds before taking a seat across from the other girl, as Daesung chuckles in his seat.

“So, as you know, SM corp is a very large company…” Her father starts, but Seulgi has already tuned him out, doodling on a nearby notepad.

Not really paying attention to the meeting, hearing bits and pieces of information being exchanged between the two and only kind of listening when Joohyun spoke. Until she hears her father leave the room. 

“Kang Seulgi, COO of SM corp, 26, also attended Seoul National University but for business, and also I like pringles.” She adds after hearing they went to the same college, still deeply engrossed in finishing her drawing of a man on the moon.

“Nice to meet you too.” She hears Joohyun say softly before bowing and getting up, leaving to get on with her day. 

Seulgi lets out a sigh once Joohyun turns the corner out of the office, her heart still refusing to calm its pace. What was wrong with her? How could she get such a rise out of woman she met once? She shook her head furiously, clearing her thoughts before returning to her work. She went back to her office but she still couldn’t get her mind off that lawyer. Packing up her things, making her way down to the parking garage, she’s relieved to finally go home. Loading into her expensive sports car and pulling out of the building. 

\---

The low buzz of conversation and silverware clinking filled the white noise of the small cafe. Seulgi was scrolling through her phone blankly, waiting for Sooyoung to return from the bathroom. She loosened the collar of her white dress shirt, rolling up her sleeves slightly. Being in a more casual environment compared to the serious board meeting she attended an hour ago. 

“Kang Seulgi, you’re order is ready.” A teenage server announces over the counter.

Quickly getting up to get to grab her drinks, she feels someone gently bump into her from behind. Seulgi whips her head around and sees a small figure rubbing her forehead from the collision. 

“Joohyun-ssi?” She said in a surprised tone. The woman that had been on her mind consistently had coincidentally run into her. It all felt like something out of a movie. 

“Huh? Oh hello, Seulgi-ssi.” Joohyun seems just as surprised to have run into her in this random cafe.

Joohyun adjusts her gray blazer, Seulgi assumes she’s just on an office coffee run considering she looks rushed. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you. I guess I wasn’t paying attention.” 

“Ah it’s ok,” She lets out quickly, trying not to stare at her delicate eyes and porcelain skin. “I was just getting my drinks, what brings you here?” 

“I was just getting a quick drink before meeting some clients,” Joohyun says, feeling calmer than their first meeting. 

Seulgi was about to continue their conversation further but a couple of people behind her were giving her glares. She opped out and moved to grab the cups of coffee she and Sooyoung had ordered. Moving to the side so that other people could finally get their drinks, still staring at the lawyer as she went to set the orders on her table. 

Once Joohyun’s tea was ready, she made her way towards the exit, still thinking about the businesswoman. Seulgi not wanting to spend another second living in her head, surges forward. 

“Umm, Joohyun!” She says a little too loud. 

“Yes?” Joohyun jumps a little, startled by other woman, turning around.

“I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch sometime,” She spits out, quickly. “Ya’ know, to discuss umm… SM stuff…” Seulgi stutters. She feels like she’s back in high school, getting nervous talking to her crush, hands sweating profusely. 

Joohyun’s expression softens and she smiles. “Sure Seulgi-ssi, I’d love to.”

Practically doing backflips in her head at this point, Seulgi answers “How does Friday sound?”

“Sounds good, see you then.” She says politely before walking out of the small glass doors of the cafe, her mind running a thousand miles a minute, she forgets to ask for her number. 

Seulgi still standing in her seat, heart-pounding rapidly, she punches the air in excitement, not caring about the concerned looks other customers were giving her. But the victory is short-lived when she realizes she also doesn’t know how to contact her. Weighting the options in her head quickly, she sets down her iced coffee and rushes out the doors. 

Pedestrians watching the disheveled businesswoman chase after Joohyun in awe of how dramatic the scene looks. Seulgi is well aware of how ridiculous she looked calling out for the woman in question in broad daylight on a Thursday afternoon, but she didn’t care. 

“Joohyun-ssi! Joohyun wait! Bae Joohyun!” She screams out after her before she sees her open her car door. 

Joohyun starts looking around confused as to who was calling her name.  _ “Huh?” _ She mutters under her breath. And then she sees it, the bear sprinting full speed after her.

“Joohyun wait!” Seulgi pants. “I need your number…. Haah…. So we can… Huuuh…. Figure out the details.” Man, she knew it had been a while since she worked out, but she didn’t know she was  _ that  _ out of shape. Holding out her phone, still hunched over trying to catch her breath. 

“Oh! Yeah, that’s right!” She blushes, embarrassed at how she left the cafe without exchanging numbers. 

She hands her phone over to the wheezing COO, exchanging phones, and watches as Seulgi creates a new contact and types in her number, smiling. Ah, that smile. Joohyun wasn’t sure what she’d do to get to see that smile every day. 

Finally waving goodbye to the beautiful lawyer after having a few laughs about how they first ran into each other and sharing some detail of where they were going to have lunch, Joohyun gets into her car and heads back to her office. But she doesn’t see Seulgi sprint back to the cafe out of joy. 

\---

Pushing the glass doors open, letting her self back in, she spots an angry Sooyoung sitting at their table alone. 

“Yah! Seulgi-unnie! Where’d you go? I was all alone.” She pouts. “And why do you look like you just ran a marathon?”

Unable to wipe the wide smile from her face, “Uh, nothing, just ran into a friend.” she dismisses.

“Really huh? And did you and your friend get into a fistfight? Why do you look so out of breath?” Sooyoung questions, not buying it. 

“Hmm,” Seulgi stalls, trying to figure out another excuse. 

“Seulgi…” The other girl warns.

“Alright fine,” She sighs. “I ran into Jooyoung and I asked her to a business lunch, but when she left I realized we didn’t have each other’s numbers so I went after her,” Seulgi says, realizing how embarrassing the whole situation really was saying it out loud, blushing. 

“Oh god,” The VP says, rolling her eyes. “You’re hopeless Seul.” 

“What?”

“ _ Come on, _ ” She continues. “You could’ve sprinkled in some trademarked Kang charm to swoon her, instead of making it seem like you want to have a meeting.”

“Well, what else was I supposed to do? Ask her on a date? We barely know each other.”

“ _ I don’t know _ , maybe say something like ‘Maybe we could get to know each other better, wanna get lunch sometime?’ I mean geez Seul, I know it’s been a long time since you’ve seen someone but how can you mess that up.” 

Face palming when she realized Sooyoung’s line was way better than hers. “See,” Sooyoung taunts.

However, now was not time to feel sorry for herself, she had gotten Joohyun’s phone number and a “date”, if that’s what they were calling it, and wasn’t going to let Sooyoung tease her anymore. She continues to wear her smile throughout the rest of the day, content with the thought of seeing Joohyun again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @akuma__jpg (changed my @)  
> DMs open to any suggestions :)


	3. Chapter 3

Getting into her car, she could feel how hot her face felt.  _ Oh god, Seulgi asked her on a date. _ Well not really, as she had put it they’d be having lunch to discuss “SM stuff”. But that meant they’d get a chance to know each other better and hopefully become friends. 

Being greeted by the strong gust of cold of airconditioning in the atmosphere of her office, she puts on a straight face before walking into her meeting. 

\---

She was sitting on the couch, wrapped in plush blankets when Seungwan entered the apartment with a loud sigh. She could practically see the tension leave the younger girl’s shoulders when she finally sat down, taking a seat next to her. 

“Hi,” Seungwan says softly after sitting in silence for a couple of minutes. Presumably clearing her mind of the day’s stress and work. 

“Hey,” Joohyun returns, still heavily invested in some K-drama her dad recommended to her. 

“Hmm, I heard this shows good.” She says, robotically almost, voice still devoid of emotion. 

“Yeah, my dad kept talking about it.”

“Joohyun-unnie,”

“Yea?”

“I’m seeing someone.” 

“You’re WHAT?” Joohyun yells, quickly pausing the show, turning and giving the roommate all her attention. 

“Heh…” Seungwan nervously laughs at Joohyun’s expression. “Yeah, I’ve been talking to this girl for a couple of weeks, after we met at some bar and she asked me out recently.”

“HUH! You’ve never told me,” Joohyun almost pouts, but still happy for her friend. “How come?”

“Well, I wanted to see where things were going, to see if she was serious about us or not…” She pauses. “...and she is.”

“Hmph I’m a little upset you didn’t tell me sooner, but I still love you so I’ll forgive you.” 

“Ha sorry, you just seemed a bit too wrapped up in work, and I didn’t want to bother you.” Seungwan resides, gently resting her head on Joohyun’s shoulder haggardly. 

“You’re right about me being overwhelmed, but I always have time to listen to your stories, Wan-ah.” 

The two spend the rest of their night on the couch watching K-drama and eating takeout. Catching up with each other by talking in between commercial breaks. Joohyun’s heart felt full reconnecting with her longtime friend, but the idea of Seungwan dating someone reminded her how lonely she was. 

\---

Before she knew it, her lunch date with Seulgi was approaching much faster than she thought. Almost as if the gods had answered her prayers, her phone buzzed through the hardwood of her messy desk. Picking it up, squinting to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, she read:  **_1 New Message From: Kkangseul…_ ** And Joohyun had never unlocked her phone faster.

\--- 

**_KkangSeul_ ** **_: 11:30 am_ **

What time should I pick you up for lunch? 0_0 

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 11:30 am_ **

12:00 please :) 

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 11:31 am_ **

Sounds good (o^_^)b

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 11:31 am_ **

I know this really good restaurant nearby, 

it just opened up ٩( 'ω' )و

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 11:31 am_ **

Lol I’ll see you then Seulgi-ssi

\---

Laughing at the emojis the adorable woman was sending her, she stared at the three moving bubbles at the bottom of their messages, anticipating her text. Unconsciously smiling at her phone, Joohyun thought it was cute how Seulgi sent emojis after every text. It was almost like she was there, exuding enthusiasm as usual. 

She quickly typed out her last message before locking her phone and trying to get her work finished. But Joohyuns ears turned hot at the thought of where Seulgi was going to take her. 

Getting sucked back into her case files and legal papers, she barely noticed that 30 minutes had flashed by when her secretary, Arin, came in and notified her that, “Umm, Ms.Bae, there’s uh Kang Seulgi waiting for you in the lobby…” 

Only then did her head whip up and meet eyes with the young employee. Flashing her a knowing smile before grabbing her purse and heading down to the elevator, Joohyun’s heart was racing again. Once she reached the ground floor of the corporate building, she saw the human vitamin that was Kang Seulgi. 

“Ah, there you are Joohyun-ssi,” 

“Hi, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” She smiles shyly.

“Oh of course not,” Seulgi replies, giving her an eye smile. 

They head out of the office together, getting into Seulgi’s expensive black corvette, speeding off towards god knows where. Joohyun slightly unnerved at how fast Seulgi was driving, the businesswoman seemed perfectly fine with going down the highway at a steady rate of 80mph. 

Then it hit her like a bag of bricks. Just as they were pulling into a parking spot, Joohyun saw a familiar storefront that reminded her of her childhood. Her nostalgia was short-lived, however, when Seulgi started walking toward that particular establishment. 

Back in Joohyun’s hometown, her parents opened a modern-style Korean restaurant before they had both her and her sister. But their restaurant started gaining traction near the end of Joohyun’s highschool days, becoming one of the most popular places in the city. 

She remembered the great news her father told her about expanding the business, opening another chain in Seoul, but it had never really hit her how popular her family’s restaurant was until Seulgi was virtually dragging her through the doors.

\---

_ “Joohyun-ah! Did you hear the news? Your father and I have gained so much attention with the restaurant, that we’re opening another!” _ Her mother expressed, ecstatic about their new business endeavor. 

Munching on some pickled radishes in the living room while her father was enjoying yet another K-drama. 

_ “Mmm? That’s great mom.” _ She says barely paying attention, focusing on the over teary K-drama playing on the tv. 

\---

Dreading the fact that her parents are going to see her having lunch with Korea’s most wanted bachelorette and COO of SM, heir to the SM enterprise, there’s nothing she can do but accept her fate. But when she walks through the door, bell ringing as the two walk in, a peppy voice greets them. 

“Annyeonghaseyo, welcome!” But as soon as Joohyun enters, the owner’s eyebrows furrow in confusion.

Oh god, this was way worse than her parents catching her eating lunch with Seulgi. Instead, it was her sister, Yerim, who was known to meddle in things that didn’t concern her. She knew as soon as her lunch was over, she’d be bombarded by questions the young college student was going to pester her with. 

“Joohyun?”

“Heh, hi Yerim-ah,” Joohyun says nervously as Seulgi stares between the two obviously out of the loop. “Seulgi-ssi, this is my sister Yerim, and this is our family restaurant.”

“ _ Oooh _ , I didn’t know your family-owned  _ Gomdori, _ ” 

“Yeah, they had one in Daegu, where I grew up, and I guess they expanded and added a restaurant in Seoul,” Joohyun says lightly while Yeri leads them to a table. 

“So… How do you two know each other?” Yeri interrupts, with a mischievous tilt to her tone. 

Before Seulgi can say anything, Joohyun retorts, “I was recently paired with SM’s legal team and she’s wanted to get lunch to discuss the company.”

Seulgi tries not to wince at the cold response, that is exactly what she said but she didn’t intend for it to sound like she just wanted to talk about work, this was all an elaborate ruse to get to know the lawyer a bit more (and they both knew that). Simply just nodding to the lawyer’s antics as they sat down in the nice restaurant until Yerim left them to get their drinks. 

In an attempt to break the ice Seulgi starts, “So, why’d you want to be a lawyer?” 

“Hmm,” Joohyun thinks out loud, playing with her chopsticks. “I guess, I just really like arguing.” 

Earning a laugh from the bear-like woman, Joohyun asks out of pure curiosity. “Did you always want to work at your dad’s company?” 

“Honestly, no. But he told me from a young age that he wanted me to eventually take over when I got older, and I didn’t really want to do anything else at that time so I just went along with it all.” She answered truthfully. 

“Oh, what did you want to be?”

“Well in college, I really got into the arts, like drawing and painting, stupid stuff like that. But I was already attending the business courses and thought my parents would be disappointed if I dropped them.” She frowns. 

That must’ve been tough, Joohyun didn’t know what it was like. Ever since she was young, she had the luxury of knowing what she wanted to do when she was older, and her parents were very supportive of her. 

Reading the mood, “Eh, it’s not that bad,” Seulgi smiles, a hint of sadness still remains in her eyes though. “The pays not bad and its nothing I can’t handle.” She laughs lightly. 

Their food arrives shortly after they order it, Joohyun had ordered some soup and Seulgi ordered a large beef dish. Joohyun watches in awe as the tall attractive woman basically inhales her food at a superhuman pace as the former slowly sips her soup. 

“What do you like to do on the weekends?” Seulgi asks after she swallows her food. 

“Umm… I don’t know,” She says, genuinely thinking about what she did on her past weekends. “Normally, I just read or go to a museum. I don’t really get to go though. Usually, I spend my weekends at my desk finishing paperwork.” She sighs. 

“You go to museums?” Seulgi asks, intrigued. 

“Mhm, normally I just go to local exhibits or art shows, I enjoy the atmosphere of it all.”

“I know this great show at the Leeum museum they’re showing right now,” Seulgi brings up. “Wanna go this weekend?”

Joohyun didn’t know how the COO could just casually ask her out two times in a row, were Joohyun could barely make eye contact with her without turning into a blushing red mess. But the more she talked to Seulgi, the easier she realized it was. 

“I thought this was a business lunch Seulgi-ssi,” Joohyun teases.

“Yah! I just wanted to get to know you a little better,” Seulgi pouts, caught off guard at Joohyun’s bold response. 

“I’d love to Kang Seulgi.” 

“Great!” She says shoving more food into her mouth before giving Joohyun a wide smile. 

\---

Later that night, like usual, Joohyun was on the couch, eyes glued to her phone with some random show playing softly in the background while Seungwan was chopping vegetables in the kitchen. She was reading a webtoon when Seulgi had texted her. Nearly jumping out of her seat and straightening up on the couch, she opens her messages. 

\---

**_Kkangseul_** ** _: 8:07_** **_pm_**

Hey, I found a link to the exhibit ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎

[ https://www.leeum.org/html_eng/global/main.asp ](https://www.leeum.org/html_eng/global/main.asp)

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 8:07 pm_ **

OMO can’t wait! Σ੧(❛□❛✿)

\---

Seungwan was staring at her weirdly, Joohyun was just sitting on the couch, legs crossed and posture straight as a stick while she giggled and smiled at her phone like a madwoman. Even though she and Seulgi only hung out once, they texted for hours sharing things with each other. From the funny cat videos Joohyun sent, to the funny fail videos Seulgi sent, they just enjoyed talking to each other. 

“What’s going on? Have you finally lost it? You know, I didn’t think it’d take this long.” Seungwan says while putting the final touches to her recipe.

“Huh?” Joohyun had completely zoned out and was unaware that she was laughing out loud. 

“Who’re you texting?” 

“Mmm, a friend, Kang Seulgi” Joohyun felt odd calling Seulgi her friend but watched as Seungwans eyes widened in surprise. 

“Wait,  _ the _ Kang Seulgi?” 

“Mhm, why? You know her.” 

“Uhh… No, just seen her on the news sometimes. She works for SM right?”

“Yeah, I met her when I went to talk to the CEO about working with them.” 

Their conversation is short-lived when she gets another ping from her phone. Looking down, expectantly, she sees a different sender. Instantly, she feels panic course through her veins. 

\---

**_Yerim-ah_ ** **_: 8:45 pm_ **

YAH! JOOHYUNNIE YOU DIDN’T 

TELL ME YOU WERE DATING SUCH

A PRETTY LADY!

**_Hyunnie_ ** **_: 8:45 pm_ **

Aish, we’re not dating

**_Yerim-ah_ ** **_: 8:45 pm_ **

AAAAA Hyunnie, you know better than

to lie to me… ;-;

**_Hyunnie_ ** **_: 8:46 pm_ **

omo Yerim, good night -_-

\---

Joohyun felt her cheeks turn the brightest shade of vermillion, redder than the tomatoes in Seungwan’s dinner when she thought of the idea of her and Seulgi dating. _ Woah slow down Joohyun, you just met this girl.  _ She thought, shaking her head in disbelief, locking her phone, and heading to the kitchen to steal some of Seungwan’s food. 

  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seulgi and Joohyun go to an art exhibit together and spend more time getting to know one another.

The monotonous and familiar tone of her alarm clock fills the white noise of her penthouse. Rising from the dead, Seulgi throws off her blanket and beelines for the bathroom, groaning as she feels the cold, bare hardwood floors meet the bottoms of her feet. 

She squints her eyes, still sensitive to the harsh light. Seulgi quickly strips and gets under the showerhead, being enveloped in the warm steamy water. Sighing when she hears her phone pinging relentlessly somewhere on her nightstand. 

If it was any other day, Seulgi would get dressed in one of her $2,000 suits, read her emails at the breakfast table, and get ready for a day at the office. If there was one thing Seulgi hated more than anything, it was being sucked into a boring every day, every week, every month, and every year routine. At first, she moderately enjoyed working for her father, it let her reconnect with her family after being away at college and “discovering” herself, now the longer she worked at SM, the more unhappy she felt. But today was Saturday, and she and Joohyun were going to some art exhibit later. 

Seulgi wasn’t always one to dwell on her own mortality or existence, but having been bored to death in another 3-hour meeting about numbers really made reevaluate her life choices. Why had she even agreed to work under her father? Why did she try to convince herself after all these years that she liked business? Why didn’t she just go her own path instead of complying with her father’s wishes so easily? These thoughts often floated through Seulgi’s mind at 2 am when she couldn’t sleep. But then she remembered, she was never one to cause trouble for she was always a pacifist and unconfrontational. 

At this point, days of her life just started to blend together and create a big blur, she couldn’t quite find the motivation to move forward, despite her father’s voice ringing through her head,  _ “Seulgi-ah, you’ll make a great CEO. I just know it!” _ . Seulgi was good at appearing frosty and somewhat happy on the outside, masking her true misery and contempt for her state of being. Words of “encouragement” her dad spouted no longer gave her hope, but dread, afraid of what the future had in store for her. 

However, things in her life started to seem brighter after she met Joohyun. She found her self looking forward to tomorrow, the next minute, or hour, wondering when the next time Joohyun would ask her how her day was or even how SM was doing. Usually, anything SM related brought Seulgi anxiety, but Joohyun made it bearable and it even got her talking about company affairs casually. 

In the short time she and Joohyun had met, she already knew a substantial amount of information about her. Like that Joohyun’s favorite number was 43, she was deathly afraid of spiders, she didn’t like coffee and preferred tea, and that she was easily frightened by loud sounds. The more Seulgi learned, the more she found the young lawyer a very cute person. 

\---

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 10:03 am_ **

wyd?

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 10:07 am_ **

reading rn, hbu?

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 10:07 am_ **

nothing

im so booooored (￣(工)￣)

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 10:08 am_ **

lol, what time’s the show at?

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 10:08 am_ **

uuuugggh its at 12 T_T.

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 10:08 am_ **

-_- patience Seulgi

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 10:08 am_ **

ffiiiiiiinnnnneeee

see then baechu ;-;

\---

Seulgi laughed at the contact name Joohyun had given herself when she and Seulgi exchanged phone numbers for the first time. Apparently, it was because the older girl said her family would say she always a cabbage, henceforth the cute nickname Baechu. 

Putting her empty cereal bowl in the sink, eyes still glued to her phone screen as she makes her way to her closet to get dressed for the day’s outing. Seulgi’s style was very normcore, she often wore a blazer, button-downs, form-fitting t-shirts, and pants, and today was no different. Sporting a plain white shirt, a grey oversized blazer, converse, and a pair of vintage blue jeans, satisfied with her choices, Seulgi grabs her keys and makes her way out of her apartment complex, saying goodbye to the doorman as she heads to her car. 

\---

Looking back at it, Seulgi should’ve mentally prepared before picking up Joohyun. Because she was utterly speechless when she got into the passenger’s seat of her car. Joohyun was wearing a black turtleneck underneath a large cream-colored knit sweater and a pair of black denim jeans. Seulgi was dumbstruck at how attractive this woman was wearing simple clothes, Joohyun’s big eyes seemed to sparkle like the brightest stars in the sky. Preventing herself from staring too long, Seulgi starts the car.

The car ride was less tense once they started talking, they weren’t really talking about anything of real importance, but both seemed eager to learn more about one another. They were about 5 minutes deep into random “would you rather” questions. 

\---

“Would you rather be a fish or a cow?” Seulgi asks after Joohyun said she’d rather live in Antarctica than the Sahara desert. 

“Hmmm… I’d say cow.”

“Really! Why? If you were a fish you’d get to be free,”

“I don’t know, there’s too much pollution and I’d live in constant fear of getting eaten. If I was a cow I could freely graze the plains of Korea,” The older girl explained, shrugging. 

“I guess your right.”

“Your turn, would you rather see everyone naked, or have everyone see you naked?”

“Have everyone see me naked, don’t think I’d be sane if I saw my grandparents,” She replied with a sullen expression.

“Haha, that’s true.” 

They enjoyed the silence between them comfortably as they pulled into the large parking garage, getting out and heading to the main entrance of the museum. When they walked together, neither noticed how close they were standing to each other until someone’s dog started running in their direction and Joohyun nearly jumped into Seulgi’s arms. 

Once they entered the show, people around their age looking at art and socializing around. Not even 2 seconds later, Seulgi had lost Joohyun. Looking at the large clusters of people standing around paintings and sculptures, she can’t seem to spot the short woman in the crowd.

Joohyun had been swept away by a large group of people and was now standing in front of a large Rothko painting. Even though the hectic atmosphere was enough to make anyone anxious, she felt the calming presence of the canvas distracting her. 

Panting from swimming in a sea of Korean hipsters, Seulgi finds Joohyun enamored by the large picture. 

“Haaah… There you are… hhhhuuuuh” She says, out of breath once again.

“Oh sorry, I got pushed here,” Joohyun apologizes.

Moving closer together, Joohyun links their arms, “There, so we don’t lose each other.”

Thank god Joohyun was 5’2” and couldn’t see how red Seulgi’s ears were from the skinship. They began to wade their way through the crowded museum, talking about anything and everything. At some point, Seulgi frees her arm from Joohyun’s grasp and before the lawyer can protest, she slips her and in hers, intertwining their fingers together.  _ Very smooth Kang, _ Seulgi thinks to herself as they move on to the next painting with a sly smile on her face. 

Joohyun’s hands were warm and soft. Seulgi thought it was cute that when the lawyer was closely examining a photograph hung on the wall, her thumb would run over the back of her hand. When she was done, she would gently tug at the businesswoman’s to wordlessly signal her to follow. 

They were currently standing in front of one of Takashi Murikami’s famous super flats, this one titled  _ “The Merciless World” _ .

“I love Murikami, his art is so expressive and colorful,” Seulgi goes on, staring at the tall picture with wide eyes.

“Hmmm, but all his works have depressing, post-modern undertones to them.” Joohyun combats. 

“I wouldn’t say the messages there are that intense though, I’d say that’s how he views the world’s perspective on war and such.” 

“Very wise Kkangseul, very wise.”

Seulgi chuckles at Joohyun’s subtle playfulness as they walk near the exit of the show. Once outside, their eyes squint from the still bright, glaring sunlight. Only then do they separate, free from the packed showcase rooms of the exposition, neither really want to let go, but for the sake of PDA and the fact that they aren’t romantically involved, both hesitantly let go of each other. 

It was hard to explain, Seulgi for once in a long time didn’t feel anxiety blooming through her chest when she was with Joohyun. She felt at peace almost, she felt a warming sensation in her heart and her only fear was that their designated hang out time was running out. 

“Hey, it’s kinda late. Want to grab dinner? I know a great dumpling place.” Joohyun inquiries. 

“It’s like you read my mind Hyun-ah” Jumping at the opportunity to spend more time with her, Seulgi leads them back to her car. 

\---

The dumpling place was small and homey, everything about it had a calm aura to it. Contrasting the event they were at an hour ago, the two were reveling in each other’s presence. 

“What’s it like to make art?”

“Huh?” Seulgi looked her quizically, stuffing a dumpling into her mouth.

“I mean like, what does it feel like to make something. I’ve never really done anything art related and you told me in college you got into the arts. You also seemed to know alow about art things when we were at the show.”

“I don’t know, it’s sort of like talking without words, ya know.” Joohyun still looked puzzled. “Sometimes when I can’t say what I’m feeling, or can’t explain it, I draw. Like an outlet, sometimes the pieces make sense, sometimes they don’t.” She clarifies.

“Wow, I guess I never thought about it like that. I’m one who’s always been vocal.”

Seulgi was a naturally shy person when it came to other people or new things. She didn’t really like change, it made her uncomfortable, it felt as if her life would lose all stability when things changed. That’s why she barely ever voiced her opinions, afraid it was going to indirectly shift the course of her life if she wasn’t ready. 

“Yeah, I noticed” She teased.

“Yah!”

The rest of their dinner is filled with dumplings and laughs, Seulgi’s heart and stomach have never felt fuller until they leave the restaurant and Joohyun reaches down to hold her hand again. Joohyun was probably just cold and Seulgi was a good source of heat, she thought, as they walked in the direction of her black corvette. 

The car ride home was calming, to say the least. Seulgi really seemed to like Joohyun’s companionship regardless, and that statement seemed to be agreed on by the both of them when she saw Joohyun frown as they got closer to her house. But from the corner of her eye, she saw a rather shady looking man lurking somewhere near the stairs of Joohyuns complex and the thought of Joohyun going up to her apartment, alone late at night made Seulgi’s stomach uneasy.    
  


“How about I walk you up?” She asks, gesturing to the man by the stairs.

Joohyun catches on, nodding in approval as Seulgi parked her car, got out to open Joohyun’s door, and open it for her. The two of them cautiously head up to her room, turning the corner on the 5th floor, stopping in front of door 534. 

“Thank you for walking me up, I had fun tonight.” Joohyun smiles, eyes fixed on the ground.

“Oh no problem, I had fun too. Maybe we can do it again sometime,” 

Seulgi didn’t realize how close they were again until she could hear Joohyun’s soft breath, her eyes unconsciously traveling down to her lips, heart beating so loud she was sure if Joohyun listened close enough she could hear it. But then, the door opened and someone walked out. A girl shorter than Joohyun, with short platinum blonde hair, holding a trash bag, and wearing pajamas gave Joohyun a surprised look before quickly heading off, presumably to take out the trash. 

“Sorry, that was my roommate Seungwan.” Joohyun looks flustered like she had been caught. 

“The nurse?” Over one of their many text conversations, the topic of roommates came across and Joohyun shared that her roommate/best friend, who was a young pediatrician at one of Korea’s top hospitals. 

“Yeah.” Joohyun’s voice was soft as ever. “I’d like that, too”

“Huh?”

“To see you again,” Joohyun giggled at Seulgi’s perpetual confusion.

“Oh, yea that… Cool”  _ Come on Kang get it together, _ she thought to herself,  _ don’t get all weird now. Yes, Joohyun is sweet, smart, pretty, cute, and arguably the most amazing person on the planet, but keep your cool _ . 

Joohyun gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go and moving forward into the opened doorway. 

“Goodnight, Seulgi-ssi”

“Goodnight, Baechu.”

Giggling one more time before she closed the door, Seulgi almost ran down the stairs, jumping in the air when she reached her car.  _ Oh god, I think I’m in love with this woman. Woah, slow down there Seulgi, you’ve only hung out once. _ The voice of reason battles the voice of the whipped in Seulgi’s head as she drives home. 

\---

The doorman greets her in the lobby of the luxurious estate she lived in, waving a dismissive hello as she pressed the elevator button. 

Skipping the pleasantries, Seulgi lands face first into her pillow as soon as she gets through the door. Laying in silence before the sound notification interrupts her, it was Sooyoung. 

“Hello?” Her voice still groggy and tired, from the day’s activities. 

“Have fun hotshot?”

“Mmmm, yeah. We had dinner afterward and I walked her up to her place.” 

“Ooooo, get anything in return?” Sooyoung teases with mischieve apparent in her tone. 

“Sooyoung stop it, we’re just friends.” The older warns.

“Yeah, but I’m sure you have more in mind,” And with that Sooyoung bid her farewell, but not before teasing her one last time. 

Turning off her phone and plugging it in, she gets ready for bed, thinking of Joohyun. Brushing her teeth, thinking of Joohyun. Putting her pajamas on, thinking of Joohyun. And getting to bed, lastly thinking of Joohyun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @akuma__jpg  
> DMs open for suggestions :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seulgi comes to Joohyun's office with take out and a hopeful smile, how can Joohyun turn that down?

Joohyun never really had a lot of friends growing up. She was always one to keep a small group of close friends than be in a big group. It was the opposite with Seulgi though, Seulgi knew a lot of people but was close to very little. Her only close friend was Sooyoung, other than that she preferred to spend time alone sitting in her home, listening to Frank Ocean and painting. 

Their Museum hang out was the catalyst for them meeting up more. They’ve probably eaten lunch together for 5 days in a row now. It was the only part of Seulgi’s day she was genuinely excited for, she would pick Joohyun up at her office and they would eat lunch somewhere in the middle of their workplaces. 

More often than not, Joohyun found herself unable to look away from Seulgi’s cat-like eyes, getting sucked in by the chocolate-colored orbs that looked at her with such sincerity and kindness. She was trying to finish typing up some legal documents for Daesung when Seulgi saved her from boredom with a message. 

\---

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 9:43 am_ **

We still on for lunch today?

ε=ε=ε=ε=ε=ε=┌(;￣◇￣)┘

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 9:44 am_ **

Yup :)

\---

Even though most of the time their text conversations tended to be cut a bit short (they were both working women with important jobs mind you), but Joohyun and Seulgi never failed to check up on each other. Whether it be just a reminder to eat or just out of curiosity to see what the other was doing. 

Joohyun didn’t know a lot of people to begin with in order to compare, but Seulgi was a peculiar person. She was very specific about how she carried herself. Seulgi would always send her chain emails, at least two a day, to update her on any important SM events or deals and was never late to any meetings.

Although her business life seemed well organized and caught up, she lived her personal life rather carelessly. Joohyun noticed she bought things without checking the price tag. Seulgi always provided for the older woman whenever they went out together, paying for the meals, driving her around. Seulgi had no concept of money, spending upwards of $200,000 on a car was no big deal for her. Not only that, but Seulgi’s personality wasn’t what Joohyun had expected. Joohyun had imagined a cold heartless COO, or maybe even a playboy COO. But Seulgi was neither of those things, she was kind and soft-hearted, she got uncomfortable in confrontation but remained level-headed regardless and she was also dripping with charisma. 

There was just something about her that made Joohyun swoon and it could be the tiniest of gestures. From politely opening the door for her, to her complimenting her outfit, Seulgi never ceased to make Joohyun flustered and red-cheeked. The thought of asking Seulgi on a date was out of the question. First of all, they worked together and Joohyun was always against workplace relationships (mainly because on the off chance that they ended up splitting, it would make business awkward). Second of all, she didn’t even know if Seulgi was attracted to her. 

Any sane person would scream at her telling her she was but when it came to matters of the heart, Joohyun was a little dense. She couldn’t sense if it was platonic or romantic and just assumed Seulgi was like that with everyone. Every time she daydreamed about Seulgi asking her out, the voice of reason in her head would chastise her for being naive and would reassure her that Seulgi doesn’t like her  _ that _ way. 

\---

It was a late Tuesday night and Joohyun was still at the office, trying to get some legal work done. Nose deep in paperwork, Joohyun only looked up when she heard a soft rap on the side of her office door. Arin, her secretary, normally stayed behind most nights when Joohyun worked late to make sure the young lawyer ate and got home safely instead of passing out in her chair, but today she had to leave early. It nearly scared her to death when she saw Seulgi’s figure leaning against the door frame with take out in her hand and a familiar smile on her face. 

“Hi,”

“Hello…” 

“You’re secretary told me you were working late on the SM case files, so I thought I’d stop by to lend a hand and some food. You haven’t eaten yet right?” She maintains, raising the hand that had bags in it. 

“Thank you,” Joohyun mutters, smiling to herself, as Seulgi sets up the food on a nearby coffee table. 

Leaving her station to get up and sit next to the tall slender woman on the couch, she notices the Seulgi was still in her work clothes, meaning she probably came right from the office. 

“What’d you get?”

“Some tteokbokki from this awesome place downtown.”

She readily grabbed a plate and some chopstick before digging in when she heard a loud low rumble. Joohyun raises her head at the noise and sees the bear sitting across from her. Seulgi’s eyes open wide and she hides behind her hands, ears red. It didn’t take long for Joohyun to realize that noise came from the latter’s empty stomach, bursting into laughter as she prepared them both plates of food, giving Seulgi copious amounts of rice cakes. 

“Sorry,” Seulgi announces from behind her hands. 

“If you were so hungry, you should’ve told me sooner.” Joohyun acknowledges, still laughing softly. 

After devouring the take out, Seulgi laid sprawled out on the office couch, in a food coma while Joohyun furiously typed on her keyboard. In moments like these, Joohyun really appreciated Seulgi’s company. Even though they weren’t talking, it felt nice to have her there by her side. 

Groaning as she got up, Seulgi made her way to Joohyun’s desk, hovering over her shoulder. Squinting her eyes to look at her screen, “Those the contracts?”

“Yup, almost done and we can leave.” Finishing her document, she closes her laptop and slides it into her bag, standing up.

The night was still young and Joohyun didn’t feel like saying goodbye to the businesswoman just yet. Feeling a sudden surge of confidence, she asks, “Do you want to maybe see a movie, the night’s still young and I want to pay you back after you with food and hung out.” She offered, any remaining confidence was now gone, her stomach boiling with anticipation. 

“Yeah, that sounds great. But there aren’t any good movies playing right now.” She frowns. “How about we watch one at my place?” 

Silently nodding Joohyun was afraid she’d make a fool of herself if she opened her mouth in response. Joohyun almost tripped when she said that, how could Seulgi be so unknowingly bold when she was over here getting a heart attack every time they stood too close. Thanking the gods above, old and new, that she took the train to work today instead of driving as she opened the door to Seulgi’s expensive car. 

\---

Joohyun was captivated when she walked into the lobby of Seulgi’s penthouse residence. A nice looking doorman, who wore the name tag that read  _ Lee Soo Man _ , offered her a friendly smile as Seulgi leads her to the building’s elevator. At this point, it shouldn’t surprise her that Seulgi is loaded. Still, she stood there with a blank expression on her face staring through the massive penthouse in front of her. Quickly running to her living room she hears Seulgi rummage through her cabinets. 

“What’s your favorite movie?”

“ _ Portrait of a lady on fire _ .”

“So you’re a sappy cinephile, huh.”

“What? It’s a beautiful love story based in the eighteenth century.” Joohyun sounds appalled that the woman in front of her thought so little about the cinematic masterpiece. “What’s yours then?”

“Hmmm… I’d say its a tie between  _ The Wolf Of Wall Street _ and  _ Juno _ ”

“So you’re a tasteful comedy buff, alright I get it. Respect.” 

The two share their opinions on movies while sitting on Seulgi’s living room floor, sifting through piles of old DVDs, searching for a flick to watch for the night. 

“You’re the only person I’ve met in their 20s who owns a DVD player  _ and _ a VCR. God, how old are these.” She holds up an original copy of  _ The Breakfast Club _ that seemed to be in mint condition. 

“Hey what can I say, I like vintage things.” She points out. 

Paying more attention to her apartment, Joohyun noticed the interior was very reminiscent of the 80s, with western interior trends. With the vintage designer Michel Ducaroy couch and the expensive Richard Hutten rug she was sitting on. Her place was a complete contrast to Joohyun’s apartment, which looked like it was straight from IKEA. She also noticed the plethora of old poems and new age philosophy books she had stacked on her floating shelves, placed carefully next to a polished Victrola record player. 

“Ah, here it is.” Seulgi pulled out a worn copy of  _ From Up On Poppy Hill _ . 

“Wow, didn’t take you for a Studio Ghibli fan.”

“Oh yeah, I love all of Hayou Miyazaki’s movies, even though this one’s made by his son.”

“Did his son even make good movies?”

“Well no,” She frowns. “This is the only good one he’s made compared to his father’s work, but it’s  _ really  _ good.” 

“Can it beat  _ Whisper Of The Heart _ ?” 

“YAH! You can’t compare those two! They’re both great in their own ways,” Seulgi argues. 

She swiftly walks over to her 80-inch flatscreen, slides the DVD into the console, and motions Joohyun to join her on the couch. About 30 minutes into the movie, Joohyun fell asleep. Her head was resting on the younger woman’s shoulder as a soft blanket was draped over them. It wasn’t her intention to fall asleep, but she had been so overworked from taking on so many clients, it made it impossible to keep her eyes open. 

However, she woke up when she felt Seulgi’s body shift when she tried to get into a more comfortable position. Checking her phone for the time, she glanced down and saw about 50 unopened messages from Seungwan. 

\---

**_Wan-ah_ ** **_: 11:28 am_ **

Where are you?

Hellooooooo

Did you fall asleep at the office again?

Your car is still in the parking lot and

its late, want me to come pick you up?

Hyun-ah answer meeeeeeeee

ik you love your job and all but you basically

live there now

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 12:56 am_ **

sorry, coming home now

\---

Quickly straightening up, she feels panic take over her mind. “Sorry, it’s late and I still have work tomorrow.” She says, turning to Seulgi who was still watching the animated film.

Pausing the movie and getting up Seulgi wears a concerned look on her face, “Oh my god, I forgot it was a Tuesday.” 

They both wore pained expressions on their faces, realizing they still had to go to the office tomorrow. Seulgi quickly threw on a jacket that was hanging from a nearby chair, as Joohyun hurriedly collected her things. The two of them rushing out the door, Seulgi grabbing her keys and following after the lawyer. 

Once she was in the parking complex, Seulgi realized she grabbed the wrong keys. She meant to grab the ones to the corvette but instead, she took the ones to her flashy, bright red Ferrari convertible. 

“Jesus Kang, how many cars do you have?”

“What? It was a birthday present. And for your information, I only have four.”

“Four! Holy christ Seulgi, I only have one and it’s basically falling apart,” She shares, shocked. “Some times I forget you’re the daughter of SM.” She concludes, sitting back in the plush Italian leather seats. 

They sped down the streets of midnight Seoul, desperately trying to rush to Joohyun’s place when they pull up and Seulgi sees a familiar metallic grey Mercedes r8 parked on the sidewalks adjacent to Joohyun’s building. 

Seulgi walks her up and watches as Joohyun cautiously opens the door, only to reveal Park Sooyoung standing on the other end. Sooyoung looked like she was about to faint when her eyes met Seulgi’s. Her clothes looked thrown on in haste and hair messy. Joohyun had no idea who this girl was but judging from the terrified expression on Seulgi’s face, she assumed it was someone she knew. 

Seungwan came rushing to the door, in a similar state. “Hi, Joohyun. I thought you were staying at the office tonight.”

“Yeah no, I just went to Seulgi’s to watch a movie and we lost track of time.” 

The tension was so thick Joohyun could’ve cut it with a knife, Seulgi looked too stunned to close her mouth, staring at the pair in front of her. 

“So this is your girlfriend.” She finally speaks, with a tone of indifference. 

“Um yeah. Seungwan, this is my friend Seulgi. Seulgi this is my… girlfriend Seungwan.” The statement seemed almost forced out like someone was holding a gun to her head. “Well, I should get going, goodnight everyone.” 

Sooyoung almost ran out the door as Joohyun started heading in. 

“Goodnight, Seulgi,” Joohyun says visibly uncomfortable, closing the door. 

\---

Once she was out of earshot to Joohyun’s, Seulgi screamed at the top of her lungs, “YAH! SOOYOUNG-AH WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE DATING JOOHYUN’S ROOMMATE! I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”

Sooyoung sprinted to her car but it was no use as Seulgi was faster, putting herself in between the VP and car door. 

“Sorry, Seulgi-unnie didn’t think it was relevant.” The present fear in her eyes still remaining. 

“Didn’t think it was relevant? In what way? You’re sleeping with  _ Joohyun’s roommate! _ ” Seulgi spits through her clenched jaw. 

“Yeah but it’s not like you’re  _ seeing  _ Joohyun. So, I don’t really see the problem here...” 

That seemed to hit a particular point making Seulgi grab Sooyoung by the ear, pulling her closer. 

“Listen here ya little shit, next time you date someone you better tell me.” And with that, she lets go of Sooyoung and straightens out her jacket. “What were you two doing? Sneaking around like teenagers.” 

“Seungwan texted me saying her roommate was working late, assuming she wouldn’t be home, so I came over. Didn’t tell you because I didn’t know how you’d feel since I know you like Joohyun. How’s that going by the way?” The VP rambles. 

“Sooyoung I don’t care that you’re dating Seungwan, I’m only upset that you didn’t tell me.”

“My bad, Kang.” She resides. “Why’d you drive Joohyun home?”

“I went by her office to drop off some food because her secretary told me she was working late. She asked me if I wanted to see a movie and I told her I have better ones at my place.” She shrugged. 

“Wow, smooth Kang is back in business.” Sooyoung teases, leaning against the hood of her car. “When you gonna ask her out?”

“You know I can’t do that Sooyoung.” She sighs exasperatedly, running her hands through her hair. “She works for us, it would just make things more complicated.” 

“True, when does her contract end with SM?”

“I don’t know but her firm will probably want a renewal, won’t they? I’m not gonna fire her just because I want to date her, that seems selfish.” Looking down at her shoes, Seulgi had already weighed the options in her head. Things with her and Joohyun seemed so easy, but she didn’t want to dive into a relationship if neither of them was ready. It all felt like bad timing, She was trying to satisfy herself by just staying Jooohyun’s friend, but more time they spent together, the more Seulgi wanted to ask her out. 

Reopening the door to her apartment, things felt empty without the short lawyer there. She slips off her work clothes, adorning an oversized band shirt and boy shorts as she got ready for bed. 

\---

After saying goodbye to Seulgi and closing the door, Joohyun peers over to see Seungwan sitting on the couch with her knees to her chest. She knew the other girl was anticipating either a lecture or congratulations. 

“So, that’s the person you’ve been seeing.”

“You know her?”

“Oh come on Seungwan, shes the vice president of SM for christ’s sake. I’ve seen her about a million times, selling company stocks to investors like kids in a candy shop.” She scoffs. “Why didn’t you tell me who it was though?”

“I didn’t want you to get all motherly and give her ‘the talk’ about treating me right.” Making air quotes with her fingers, Seungwan stated this plainly. 

“Well, I’m still going to give her the talk. Even more so now since we work closely.” She laughs, Seungwans cheeks turning red as she buried her face deeper into her knees. 

“What were you doing with Seulgi?”

Sighing as she put her bag on the coffee table. “She came with take out while I was at the office and I offered to treat her to a movie after all she did and she invited me over instead, saying she had better movies at her place.” 

Watching Seungwan raise her eyebrows suggestively at that specific detail. “She had better movies huh?”

“Hey! She did!” Joohyun defended, fighting an oncoming blush that was surfacing on her face. 

“Well, it’s late and I’m spent.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Joohyun tantalizes. 

“Oh shut up.” Getting up to punch the older woman’s arm and leaving for her room. 

Joohyun takes Seungwan’s place on the couch, finally closing her eyes after the hectic atmosphere she’s been in all day. And the businesswoman never fails to leave her mind and still plagues her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the 200 hits! this is my first fic and I really enjoy writing it, I have somewhat of a story outline so and just want to know if the story should stay fluffy or if you guys want some angst...  
> Also sorry about all the confusing movie, furniture, and car talk I just want to characterize Seulgi and Sooyoung to be the boujee queens they are. Notes on the furniture: Michel Ducaroy is a really cool french designer and he makes cool couches. Richard Hutten is a dutch designer that makes amazing rugs. 
> 
> twt: @akuma__jpg  
> DMs open for any suggestions :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seulgi finally decides to ask Joohyunt to the annual gala, but she's still too nervous to ask her. (Also some wenjoy fluff)

She was still as a statue, sprawled out on her bed like a starfish. Seulgi was staring blankly at her ceiling, head organizing her schedule. The company gala was coming up and she was overstressing things as per usual. Ever since her father suggested she take someone, her mind went berzerk at the thought of asking Joohyun. Sure, both of them were already invited but that wasn’t the point. 

_ What if she says no? What if she wants to bring someone else? What if she’s not even going? _ And although Seulgi knew the other woman well enough by now to know that Joohyun would never do any of those things, she couldn’t help but let irrationality take over in an outraged explosion of gay panic. Burying her face in her pillow, trying to suffocate those horrid thoughts of Joohyun going to the gala with someone else, Seulgi comes to the conclusion that no matter how hard it was going to be, she’d ask Joohyun to go with her. 

All these feelings reminded Seulgi of her senior prom when she mustered up enough courage to ask out a girl but in return got rejected. She ended up going dateless, to what was supposed to be the highlight of her youth, with Sooyoung, who made it her mission to get blackout drunk. Seulgi’s prom memories were filled with her sulking in the back corner, trying to get drunken Sooyoung home early without raising suspicion from Mr. and Mrs. Park. She spent the rest of the night holed up in her room, blasting angsty  _ Cage The Elephant _ songs. 

Now times were different, she was no longer a hormonal teenager but a somewhat confident grown-up COO. She was going to ask Joohyun the next time they went out to lunch. And either God or the Devil read her mind because her phone rang instantly. 

___

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 11:32 am_ **

Wanna grab lunch today??

This new burger place opened up

I heard its really good

**_Kkangseulgi_ ** **_: 11:33 am_ **

Sure

hey Joohyunnie… 

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 11:33 am_ **

What?

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 11:33 am_ **

Why do burgers go to the gym?

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 11:33 am_ **

I don’t know Seulgi, 

why do they?

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 11:34 am_ **

To get better buns (°▽°)

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 11:34 am_ **

(¬_¬)

no jam bear seulgi…

**_Kkangseul_ ** **_: 11:35 am_ **

What?!

I’m 100% yes jam

(~_~;) 

**_Baechu_ ** **_: 11:35 am_ **

sure... 

( T_T)＼(^-^ )

___

“What are you laughing at? The video of that woman falling off the stage at graduation?” Sooyoung interrupts as she drops some papers off on Seulgi’s desk.

“Hmm? No nothing. Just texting Joohyun.”

“Oh, I see…” Sooyoung’s voice lifts at the end of hearing the little attorney’s name. 

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just this is the first time I’ve seen you slack off. Normally you try to do all your work lighting fast to get out of the company building.” 

Sooyoung said nothing but the truth, Seulgi hated her office. Even though it was spacious and had large windows overlooking the city, she hated being in the SM building. But ever since Joohyun was introduced into her world, she found herself enjoying every aspect of life just a little bit more. She enjoyed her work because it reminded her of the older woman whenever she saw her small neat handwriting on business contracts. She loved the afternoons because that meant she could spend her lunches with Joohyun, eating anywhere (it didn’t matter as long as she was with her). And she loved her late nights where she and Joohyun would spend hours texting and laughing on the other end their screens. 

“Speaking of company, I’ve decided that I’m gonna ask Joohyun to the gala. Since you won’t be there, it’ll be nice to have a friend around.”

Sooyoung looks at her with suspicion in her eyes, “A friend huh? Come on Seulgi just say it. You like her. Even if you did like her as a friend, she’s already invited.” 

“Yes, I like her. But I’ve already accepted that it’s not likely that we’re gonna get together anyways.” The big bear raises her hands in the air, surrendering. 

“Ya know Seulgi, sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith.” 

“Woah I didn’t know you turned into a philosopher, Sooyoung. You’re gonna quit business?”

“Oh shut up. What I mean is, a relationship takes work, it isn’t something that just happens. I learned that with Seungwan. She was hesitant to start going out with me because of my level of commitment. I wasn’t just going to wait around until she decided, I made an effort and changed.”

“So you’re saying I need to change myself in order to get with Joohyun?” She looks confused, eyebrows furrowed.

“No what I’m saying is, you need to be able to step out of your comfort zone and ask her out. She’s not gonna wait forever.” And with that, Sooyoung left the room to let Seulgi ponder on her next move. 

_ Leap of faith, huh? _ It was finalized, Seulgi was in the presence of an amazing woman and wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass her by, she was going to ask Joohyun. 

___

Joohyun was pacing around in her office. Last night she settled that she was going to ask Seulgi out. At this point, the pros of dating Seulgi outweighed the cons, and she ready to be in a relationship. Seulgi seemed like she’d be an attentive and considerate lover. She had a lot of patience, which is what Joohyun needed working a job that occupied a large part of her life. 

She took out her phone and shot Seulgi a text, asking if she wanted to eat lunch. She was going to ask her goddamnit, even though her stomach was churning and her nerves were on end.

“Are you ok Ms.Bae?” Arin pops her head through the door to see her boss mumbling to herself like a crazy person. 

“What? Oh, yes. Sorry, Arin just nervous.” She laughs to defuse the tension which only weirds the younger girl out more. 

“Okay… Umm… Ms.Kang is waiting in the lobby.” 

“Thank you.”

As soon as Arin peered out of view, Joohyun jumped up and down, trying to rid herself of the bad thoughts and calm herself down before heading down to see the COO. The storm brewing in her head calms once she sees the lanky woman wave to her. 

“You ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” 

The whole car ride there was tense, Joohyun was trying to formulate a sentence and get the conversation rolling but every time she opened her mouth, no words came out. There have only been a few instances in which Joohyun was too nervous to speak. One of which she was at the district finals for speech and debate in her freshman year. She was giving the closing statement and the teams were tied. She was so nervous she forgot everything she had prepared and her team lost the round. The second time was when she got caught coming back from a high school party and got scolded. Her parents demanded she defend herself and she just stood there speechless. Needless to say, she got grounded for a long time. 

Joohyun’s hands were balled into tight fists, placed on her lap, too afraid to talk or move. Seulgi was silent because she was trying to devise a plan on how she would ask Joohyun to the gala.  _ Should I bring it up casually or… No, I should wait until we’re at the restaurant, right? Or should I say it before I drop her off, in case I get rejected? _

Arriving at the restaurant sooner than she anticipated, Seulgi reluctantly followed Joohyun into the burger joint. They took a table outside since it wasn’t too overcast and there weren’t any clouds in the sky. 

“So… How’re things at the firm?”

“They’re great. Well, they’re okay. Which is not to say things are bad because they’re not. I just meant that they’re the same as they were before. They’re normal. I still have a lot of work, but I always have a lot of work.” Joohyun stuck her straw in her mouth to stop the rambling from continuing on too long. She was trying to avoid Seulgi’s gaze.

“Wow, that was quite the statement.” Seulgi laughs at the lawyer’s antics. 

After hearing the younger laugh, tension visibly leaves her shoulders. “Sorry, I’m just nervous. That’s all.” 

“Hmm? Why’s that.” Seulgi takes a big gulp of her soda.

_ Now’s you’re chance Joohyun, it’s now or never…  _ “I was wondering if you wanted to go to the gala with me, I mean I know we were both invited but I thought we could go together. Like a… date.” 

Seulgi felt her blood run cold, all expression leaving her face. She just sits there for a couple of seconds. 

“I mean if you don’t want to that okay. I understand if I made you uncomfortable. I’m sorry.” Oh no, Joohyun was back to rambling. 

Quickly throwing up her hands to calm/reassure the smaller woman across from her, “No, no. no! That’s not it, I was actually… gonna ask you the same thing.” She softly laughs at this whole situation. It was a mess, she felt like a teenager again. “I’d love to go with you.”

Slumping back into her chair, Joohyun lets out a big sigh in relief. This only made Seulgi laugh more. 

“That relieved, huh?”

“Yeah. Actually, I prepared a whole speech but I decided to scrap it.” She joked. “Yeah, I hired dancers and a string quartet. The whole nine yards, ya’ know.”

“Wow, Joohyun you really know how to make a girl feel special,” Seulgi says in between laughs. “If it’s any consolation, my friend gave me a big speech about ‘taking a leap faith’. So I listened to a lot of rap music before coming, to get hyped up. But you beat me to it.” 

Now it was Joohyun’s turn to laugh, “Dang, I’d pay to see that.” 

“Too bad,” Seulgi teases as a server delivers their food. 

___

Never in a million years did Sooyoung picture herself waiting in a long line for a  _ book _ . But it wasn’t for her, it was her 3 month anniversary present for Seungwan. She wasn’t going to lie, now that Seulgi knew about her relationship, it felt like 50 pounds were lifted off her shoulders. It took up a lot of energy sneaking around Seungwan’s place, avoiding Joohyun and the bear-like COO. But now that they knew, she didn’t have to hide and that meant she could spend more time with her girlfriend. 

Apparently this book was the newest addition to some series Seungwan loved, and she wouldn’t stop talking about her theories on the story. Sooyoung loved Seungwan, she really did, but she absolutely detested reading. Ever since high school, she refused to read, preferring to pay nerds to do the assignments for her. 

Today, Seungwan had the day off and they’d be watching  _ Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World _ at her place. On her way there she picked up flowers, tulips, Seungwan’s favorite. Seungwan’s apartment wasn’t that far from the SM building, making it really easy to slip out of the office for the rest of the day. It only took her 15 minutes to pick up her presents and drive there, already knocking on the doctor’s door. 

Sooyoung’s heart felt warmer at the sight of Seungwan opening the door and engulfing her with a huge hug. 

“Hi,” She buried face in Sooyoung’s shoulder. 

“Hey.” carefully guiding both of them through the doorway and taking off her shoes. 

Removing her face from Sooyoung so the taller one could take her jacket off, Seungwan spots the flowers in her hand. 

“Awww flowers.” 

Sooyoung shyly holds them out, looking anywhere but the swooning Seungwan. 

“Yeah, and I got you this too.” She holds up the small gift. 

“I thought we agreed on no gifts?” 

“Yeah, but I saw this on the way over and I know you’ll love it. Just open it.” Sooyoung walks over to the couch, waiting for her girlfriend to see what she got her. 

Hesitantly opening the gift, Seungwan peers inside. Eyes immediately widening at the sight of the book.

Quickly pulling it out she looks back at Sooyoung, sitting on the couch with a proud expression on her face. 

  
“How’d you know!?”

“You’ve only mentioned wanting that book for like 2 weeks. I saw it and thought of you.” Smiling at the shell shocked blonde. 

Seungwan joined Sooyoung on the couch, snuggling up to watch the movie. The young VP never imagined herself being in a loving and committed relationship. Truth be told, she was a bit of a playboy back in her college days, she couldn’t keep a girlfriend to save her life. But one night of bar hopping lead her to meet the lovely Son Seungwan and one thing lead to another, Sooyoung was whipped. 

At first, Seungwan saw straight through her, she saw past the snarky facade and flashy cars and simply saw a tired woman. Sooyoung was indeed tired, bored almost. Bored of trying to find someone who cared about her, instead of someone who wanted her for her looks or money. After a particularly bad break up, she swore off dating, strictly engaging in one night stands only. 

In an attempt to try and sleep with Seungwan, Sooyoung ended up learning a lot about her and she couldn’t help but fall for the shorter woman. Seungwan reminded her of cool summer days and calm ocean waves. She knew she had to at least give her and Seungwan a shot, she’d be insane not to. 

But it took weeks of convincing to get Seungwan to say yes. Sooyoung sent flowers to the hospital ward for 4 days straight just to get Seungwan to call her back. It was a tough week until Sooyoung herself took a leap of faith and confessed her feelings. In a moment of vulnerability, Seungwan accepted her and they’ve been going strong for 3 months now. Her heart felt at ease and she let herself drift off to sleep by Seungwan’s side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @akuma__jpg  
> DMs open for suggestions


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IT'S GALA TIME

Seulgi had done this a hundred times by now, but for some reason, she felt uneasy. If it was any other business party she’d be attending, she would just walk into her closet, pick out one of her many expensive suits, and call it a day. But she was going with  _ Joohyun, _ she had to make sure she was looking sharp, sharp enough to kill. The gala was in 3 days and she wanted to be ready in advance so she wouldn’t have to worry. Persuading Sooyoung to go with her to the tailors during their lunch break. 

“Consider this payback for ditching me for Seungwan, on Saturday.” She looked over her shoulder to see the younger girl sitting on a couch with a glass of champagne in her hands and a frown on her face. Turning her attention back to the designer that was measuring her pant legs, “Which reminds me, you still haven’t given me the juicy details on how you two met,”

Uncrossing her legs to get up and closely inspect the black velvet blazer Seulgi had on, Sooyoung’s expression changed from sulky to soft within mention of the sweet blonde. “Another time Kang, another time. Congrats on the date, by the way, but why’re you going all out? It’s not like you two are getting married.” She chuckles at the fact that Seulgi would go through these extremes just to impress Joohyun. 

“Why not? It’s been a while since I’ve treated myself to a suit.” And with that, she handed the tailor her credit card and gave them a slight nod. Running her hands through her hair once the two of them are alone in the fitting room. 

“Don’t worry too much unnie, Joohyun’s gonna love it.” She moves closer, placing her hands on the older’s shoulder, winking in the mirror they’re facing. 

“She’d better, this suit costs 12 grand,” Seulgi mumbled to herself as she gives the suit to someone at the counter to package for her. 

___

Gripping her steering wheel, she had been sitting in front of Joohyun’s apartment for 40 minutes now. She was taking Joohyun out to dinner tonight. But not as friends, this was a date. One night, when she and the lawyer were on the phone… 

“Hey… Can I take you to dinner before Saturday? Like a date,”

“What? Just trying to take me out first since I asked you to the gala? Getting bold are we Kang?” Joohyun teased.

“What aha, no. I just don’t want our first time together to be at an SM event.” 

“What with the conviction, huh? What’s wrong with SM events?” She asks in legitimate confusion. 

“Nothing, there just a bit… boring. I’ve been to dozens by now, nothing but a yawn fest.”

“Wow, I thought it was going to be like the met gala. I guess not.”

“Yeah, it’s just a bunch of old businessmen and their trophy wives discussing product. It’s more or less of a social gathering rather than a party.”

“Hmmm… I see. So where do you want to go then?”

“I’m thinking about this fancy Chinese dim sum place that just opened up. My friend Jeongyeon owns the place, I think it’ll be nice compared to all the pizza and burgers we eat.” 

“Yes! It’s a date then, is Thursday good?”

“Of course.” 

She wanted to get to Joohyun’s early because she foresaw herself sitting in her car, worrying. Rubbing her hands together and slapping her face.  _ Get it together Kang, you can do this! _ Taking a deep breath before getting out of her car and knocking on her door. She was clutching the flowers in her hand so hard the stems were going to break. 

“Oh, hi.” Joohyun smiled up at her. She was dressed in a form-fitting striped sweater and a short black plaid skirt. 

“Hey, these are for you…” She stood shyly holding out a bouquet of light pink roses. 

“Thank you.” Her blush very visible as she quickly runs to the kitchen to fill up an empty vase. 

After contemplating entering Joohyun’s apartment for a couple of seconds, she stands near the doorway. Joohyun’s humble abode, as the young lawyer liked to call it. It was was small but charming, much like Joohyun herself, it was spotless and filled with plants and books. There were small frames lined up on her selves, pictures of her with her family, Seungwan, and some other people she assumed were lawyers. 

“There,” Joohyun said to herself, placing the roses into a light blue ceramic vase and setting it next to another one full of tulips. 

“You ready?” 

“Yeah, let’s go.”

For once, Seulgi was grateful there was no parking near the Michelin star restaurant. Meaning she had to park a block away instead. The night was cold for mid-spring in Korea, she noticed Joohyun shiver in her peripheral vision. She moved without thinking, locking their fingers together, and placing Joohyun’s hand in her jacket pocket. Grinning to herself as she moves closer to the taller woman, shoulders touching as they reach the restaurant. 

“Nayeon?” 

Seulgi, bewildered once again, was wondering how Joohyun knew Jeongyeon’s girlfriend. 

“Joohyun?” The bunny toothed beauty stared back in confusion. 

Utterly dumbfounded, “You two know each other?”

“Of course, Joohyun and I work together at the same firm, different departments though. I’m in the criminal defense department.” 

The Jeongyeon comes out from nowhere and lays a kiss on the side of Nayeon’s head, before looking up to see the dazed bear standing at the entrance. 

“Oh! Seulgi, I was wondering when you’d come by. And I assume this is your date.” 

Quickly changing from confused to flustered, “Yes, Joohyun this is Jeongyeon. My friend, I was talking about.” 

Letting go of Seulgi’s hand so she could shake Jeongyeon’s, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Seulgi tells me great things about you.”

“Great things, huh? I like her already.” The chef says to the still embarrassed COO. “Well, if you excuse us, we also have a dinner to attend too.” She gestures to Nayeon, looking at her with honey dripping from her eyes. “Enjoy your date.”

Joohyun paying more attention to the restaurant itself, she noticed the dim lighting and fancy furniture. There were small Chinese dragons engraved into the backs of dark wood chairs, and the restaurant’s logo engraved into the covers of the leather menus. Much like a traditional dim sum restaurant, there were servers traveling around tables with carts full of steaming dumplings, noodles, and other goods. They were seated shortly after the other couple left. A single red-lit candle in the middle of their table set romantic undertones, making her heart beat faster.

“Didn’t know Nayeon was a lawyer.” 

“I could tell,” Joohyun snickers recalling the expression that was plastered on her face earlier. 

“But I kinda remember seeing her on one of the pictures on your shelf.”

“Yeah, that was taken after I passed my bar exam. We went to school together.” 

“I mean it makes sense. Every time I hang out with Jeong, she’s always arguing on the phone with someone.”

“Ahh, that’s her assistant. Not all of us are lucky to have competent secretaries.” 

“Hmmm” She hums in agreement, putting a piece sliced steak into her mouth.

“How’d you meet Jeongyeon?”

“We met in college, at a party with all the other CEO’s kids.” 

“Those are real? I just assumed they only existed in K-dramas.”

“Yeah, they’re mostly just to help us build connections and strike deals. But me and her hit it off and became friends.”

“Shesh, you wealthy people never stop negotiating, huh?”

“That’s the price we gotta pay for having a silver spoon in our mouths all our lives. Did you know, I didn’t know how to do my own laundry until I was  _ 22. _ ”

“What! I practically came out of the womb ironing shirts.” Joohyun looks baffled at the anecdote. 

“Yup, before there was always someone to do it for me.”

“Do you like it? All the money, cars, and stuff like that?”

“To be honest, no I don’t.” She looked down into her glass of wine. “But I feel like if I don’t indulge in it, it might seem like I’m ungrateful. My dad worked hard to build SM. I mean, again, I didn’t choose this life. I was just born into it, right?”

“I’ve never thought about it like that. I never saw my self sympathizing with rich people. Growing up, my parents always had to work hard to provide for me and my sister while also running the restaurant.” 

“Must’ve been fun growing up in a restaurant, lots of good food all the time.”

“Always hungry Kang aren’t we?” 

“Always. My parents never cooked for me when I was younger. It was only those tiny plates fancy restaurants would serve. I swear by the age of 10, I had already consumed enough caviar to feed an entire small town.”

Whenever Joohyun is around Seulgi, it usually results in lots of laughs. Tonight was no different, she almost choked on her drink when Seulgi was telling her about how she used to feed crickets to her pet chicks when she was younger. 

Only when she walked Joohyun to her door did Seulgi feel a strong pull on her heartstrings, she didn’t want to say goodbye. Seulgi has always been known to be melodramatic, and even though she was going to see the woman on Saturday, she really couldn’t say goodbye. 

“Joohyun,”

Joohyun spun on her heels, noticing how dangerously close to Seulgi she was. Their faces only 3 inches apart. She couldn’t stop her eyes from flickering down to her lips, then back to her eyes. Her face illuminated by the single fluorescent bulb above her unit. 

“Yes,” Her voice impossibly quieter.

Leaning in, almost touching, Seulgi could feel her exhale on her lips. She watched as Joohyun’s eyes slowly fluttered shut. A loud click noise filled her ears and she felt Joohyun pull away. Seungwan looked at her roommate with guilt and horror in her eyes before she slammed the door shut again. 

“Sorry, that was Seungwan...” Joohyun fiddles with her fingers.

“Ahh, it’s ok…. Well, I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Seulgi rubbed the back of her neck, awkwardly. 

“Yeah, goodnight Seulgi.”

“Goodnight, Baechu.”

___

Joohyun leaned her back on the closed-door inside her apartment. She looked over to see Seungwan, trying not to make eye contact with her. 

“The roses are nice…”

“Wan-ahhhhh! You really have horrible timing.” She whines, hands to her face. 

“Sorry, Hyunnie. I heard something outside and I forgot you were out and-”

“Save it.” Holding up her hand to silence the blabbering pediatrician. “I guess that was karma for when we caught you and Sooyoung- ”

“No need to bring that up!” Seungwan plugged her ears, urgently running to her room. 

Leaving the short blonde to her shenanigans, Joohyun mentally prepared for Saturday, still not knowing what she was going to wear. 

___

**_Yerim-ah_ ** **_: 10:12 pm_ **

So… Seungwan told me you

went on a date. 

Care to share unnie? |(￣3￣)|

**_Old Unnie_ ** **_: 10:14 pm_ **

I’m gonna kill her -_-

**_Yerim-ah_ ** **_: 10:14 pm_ **

Did you go with that pretty lady from

before? 

**_Old Unnie_ ** **_: 10:14 pm_ **

None of your business yerim-ah, go to bed

It’s late

**_Yerim-ah_ ** **_: 10:15 pm_ **

Don’t dodge the question unnie!

I need details stat or else I’m gonna tell mom

**_Old Unnie_ ** **_: 10:15 pm_ **

Tell mom what? In case you’re forgetting, I’m the

adult here.

**_Yerim-ah_ ** **_: 10:15 pm_ **

Don’t remind me, old unnie (=^▽^)σ

and you’ll be sorry when she starts asking you later

Remember, she’s a LOT worse than me (ㆀ˘･з･˘)

**_Old Unnie_ ** **_: 10:15 pm_ **

How could I forget…

That is where you got it from ( -᷅_-᷄ )

**_Yerim-ah_ ** **_: 10:16 pm_ **

You know you love us (´･ω･`)

**_Old Unnie_ ** **_: 10:16 pm_ **

Goodnight Yerim-ah.

___

The last thing she needed was for her mom and sister to scare Seulgi away. For now, she just needed to find something nice to wear to the event on Saturday. Digging through her closet she found a hidden gem, it was a off the shoulder black gown she had bought for this charity event she was invited to last year. She ended up having to cancel and stay in to take care of Seungwan, ironically, who had a high fever. Throwing the dress on her bed, she began a search for shoes and accessories. Joohyun preferred not to spend a lot of money when it came to clothes, preferring to spend them on books or stuffed animals, but she occasionally treated herself to a few luxury items. She picked a pair of black velvet heels and some expensive earrings to finish off her outfit before getting ready for work tomorrow. 

___

The 5 beers she drank with Sooyoung at some exclusive hotel bar was starting to affect her. Seulgi never really had good tolerance when it came to alcohol. Her cheeks were rosy and her speech was slurred when the taxi man dropped her off in front of her apartment. The doorman saw her staggering to the elevator and proceeded to help her up to her unit, before leaving her alone to her own devices. Coming home to an empty apartment never bothered her before, but why did it hurt so much now? Plopping down in bed she felt the strong urge to text Joohyun, looking down at her SMS contact. Instead, she decided to stare at the ceiling until 4 am. This was bad, she had to attend a family brunch at 11 and a gala at 9. And an hour before her alarm was set to go off, Seulgi finally fell into a drunken sleep. 

Groaning as she continuously pressed the “stop’ button on her phone, thinking maybe going out with Sooyoung on a Friday night was a bad idea. In college, Sooyoung would drink on weekdays and Seulgi couldn’t even handle a full bottle of soju, that woman sure could hold her liquor. She swallowed 5 Advil (that can’t be good for you) and jumped the shower in a weak attempt to rid herself of an oncoming hangover. Dealing with her parents, in general, was not something she’d do sober but dealing with them  _ hungover _ was damn near impossible. She loved her parents, but her mom had a tendency to ask way too many questions in one sitting and her father tried to steer every conversation back to the company. 

She picked out a grey pinstriped blazer, corduroy pants, and a pair of converse one stars for the brunch. Ever since SM endorsed converse, she found herself wearing a pair every day. Walking out of her room with a pained expression glued to her features, she grabbed the keys to her Porsche convertible, this time, and drove down to the brunch meeting. Seulgi’s life seemed like a cycle trips from her office, to different restaurants, then back home. Like she was living in a small bubble, unable to go anywhere else. The only escape was Joohyun, who made her forget how boring her life was. 

To say Daesung was elated to see his daughter pull up to the valet in her silver car was an understatement. He welcomed her with open arms and a warm hug, acting like he hadn’t seen her in years. 

“ _ Calm down _ , Appa, I saw you yesterday.” She made her way to give her mom an affectionate side hug.

“Just excited to see my favorite child!”

“Your  _ only _ child.”

“Same difference.” He said grabbing her mom’s hand and making his way to their table.

“Seulgi-ah, how’s Sooyoung?” Her mom asked

“She’s fine.”

“I heard she got a girlfriend recently, is that true?” 

“Yes.” By now her parents were accustomed to her short one-word responses. 

“You know Seulgi-ah, maybe it’s time you meet someone… I know some great girls I can introduce you to…”

“Umma, I’m seeing someone.” She affirms while picking at some  Hors d'oeuvres on her plate. 

“What? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I just told you.”

“Can we meet her?”

“Sure.” Her tone of indifference not concerning her parents.

“Is she going to the gala?”

“Yes.”

“What’s her name?”

“Joohyun.”   
  


“Our lawyer?” Her dad jumps in, sipping on a mimosa.

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s great. She seems nice.” 

“Seulgi-ah, we just want you to be happy.” Her mom sadly smiles at her.

“Why wouldn’t she be happy? She’s got a great job,”

It took everything in her being not to roll her eyes, “I am happy, Umma.”

Her father tuning out of the conversation again, “We just want to make sure, you’ve never really shared much with us since college and we just wanted to catch up.” Her mom was really pushing her. 

Rubbing her temple, trying to alleviate the oncoming migraine.  _ I have to get out of here. _ “Well, I’ve gotta get going. Need to get ready for the gala.” She lied. Deep down, Seulgi knew the only thing she’d be doing before the gala was sleeping and playing games on her phone while she waited to pick up her date. 

Changing from one suit to another, Seulgi felt her mood lighten when she pulled up to Joohyun’s street. Adjusting her blazer and tie, preparing to knock on the door… 

“Seulgi?”

She turns around to see Seungwan exiting the elevator. “Seungwan?”

“Hi, I was just taking out the trash…”

“Hi.” She moves to knock on the door, jumping when it was opened instantly. 

“Hey,” Joohyun looked stunning, her gown made her look like Korean royalty. No doubt there were going to be guys at the gala drooling over the goddess standing in front of her. 

“Wow...” Seungwan says from behind her. “Well, have fun you too.”

“Yeah, you too. Say hi to Sooyoung for me.” Seulgi says, moving out of the way so Joohyun could come out and Seungwan could go in. 

Once alone, Seulgi couldn’t help but admire, “Joohyun you look really good…” 

“Thank you.” Then leaning in and laying a gentle kiss on her cheek, which were now burning. “Ready?” She looks innocently at the paralyzed bear. 

“Umm… Yeah. Yes, I-” 

“Hmm?”

“Nothing.” She internally pinches herself as she opens the passenger’s side door of her white Lamborgini. 

Press at events like these weren’t out of the ordinary, where there are big CEOs and politicians, there are cameras. Seulgi felt kind of bad seeing Joohyun flinch at the amount of paparazzi bombarding them, she should’ve warned her ahead of time. She moved in front of the smaller woman protectively, blocking the harsh camera flashes, tightly holding her hand, and leading her into the party. 

“Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just not used to that many cameras.”

For the most part, every gala has been the same for her. The same pristine white tables situated on the outer parts of the room. The same black marble bar, with the same bartenders dressed in all black. The same western-style dance floor, one no one ever danced on. The same diamond chandelier hanging above them. And the same high-class guest. Joohyun on the other hand was in amazement of how many powerful people were in the same place at the same time. Never in her life would she think she’d see the CEOs of YG, JYP, and SM having a conversation about their dogs. 

“Seulgi-ah you made it!” Daesung boomed through the venue, brandishing a glass of champagne. 

“Hello, appa. You’ve met Joohyun.” Deflecting the attention to the woman on her arm.

“Ahhh, yes. It’s a pleasure to see you two together. Honey! Seulgi’s here!” Joohyun glanced up at the COO facepalming to her father’s loud voice. 

“Seulgi-ah! You never told me your girlfriend was so pretty!” Her mom was just as loud as her dad. 

“I’m gonna go get a drink, I’ll be back. Want anything?”

“No thank you, I’m good.”

Seulgi promptly took off in the direction of the bar, leaving Joohyun to socialize with her boisterous parents. She ordered a scotch, neat, and downed the whole glass in seconds. Motioning the bartender over to give her another. 

“Girlfriend, huh?”

That familiar voice met her ears, causing her to violently whip around. “Sunmi?”

“What’s up Seulgi-yah.”

“What are you doing here? You’re back in Korea?”   
  


“Mmm.” She was taking a small sip of vodka. “I got offered a good position here in Korea, couldn’t pass it up. My boss invited me to this gala thing.”

Rapidly gulping her second drink and straightening her tie, “Well if you excuse me, I’ve got somewhere to be.” She states in a somewhat hostile tone. 

“What’s with the attitude? No sympathy for an old friend?” Grabbing Seulgi’s wrist before she could get away from the bar.

“You are not my friend.” She says coldly, pulling away. 

This was not good, her patience was running thin, Joohyun was meeting her parents, and Sunmi was here. As much as she didn’t want to be near her parents at the moment, she stayed close by Joohyun’s side. 

“You were right, this is boring.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, it’s not  _ that  _ bad. Even though I’ve been given 6 business cards and 3 different job offers, by now.”

Laughing, “That’s because you’re brighter than the sun right. These old dudes are jumping at the chance to get you to work for them.”

“Well too bad, I already work with a pretty good company. And there’s this charming COO I have a crush on...” 

“Oh, really? That’s odd because there’s this business attorney I’ve been really into lately.”

“Ya don’t say…”

A couple more seconds of seriousness pass by before the two burst into a fit of giggles. The night was still young and they were about an hour into the event, Seulgi had all but forgotten her ex that was lurking somewhere in the back of the function crowd. 

“Hey, follow me. I want to show you something.” Lightly tugging on Joohyun’s hand. 

A couple of years back, Seulgi found a secret stairway that was used by the party’s staff and it leads to the building’s rooftop. Sometimes when she got too overwhelmed by the atmosphere, she’d take some snacks up with her and stargaze until it was time to go home. Reaching the metal door, she looked back at Joohyun in reassurance and opened it. It was a concrete rooftop, there was a large air conditioning unit, a weak metal railing, and a small bench overlooking the night city of Seoul. Taking a seat on the cold bench, leaning back and closing her eyes, she felt Joohyun sigh next to her. 

“Being a socialite must be hard. So much talking…” She was reaching down to take off her heels and rub her sore feet. 

“Sorry if my mom talked your ear off. She’s like that.”

“No, no, no. It was nice, she’s a sweet lady. I see where you get it from.” 

She wondered if Joohyun could see how red her face was under the night sky, opening her eyes to see the girl leaning back as well, staring at the heavens. Her large doe eyes showed the reflection of the stars. It was a captivating sight, staring as the lawyer raised her hand to the sky, pointing out constellations. 

“Seulgi-ah, are you even listening?”

“Hmm? Yeah sorry.” She zoned out staring at her. 

_ Ok Seulgi, don’t mess this up. You only have one chance. Just go for it. _ Leaning in, not wanting to waste any time, Seulgi kisses Joohyun. Scooting closer, Joohyun loops her arms around Seulgi’s neck, deepening the kiss. Hesitantly pulling away from each other, she feels Joohyun shiver in her arms.

“Its cold, want to go back inside.” Moving to drape her blazer of the smaller woman’s shoulders. 

Slowly nodding and linking arms with her, she and Seulgi walk back into the gala. Not leaving each other’s side the rest of the night, until the valet pulled up with her car. So many things had happened in such a short amount of time. Joohyun met her parents, Sunmi was back in Korea apparently, they kissed… Snapping back to reality after helping Joohyun into the car, she’s never had such a hectic night (excluding the time she had to attend a meeting in Japan and then one in China right after). She didn’t know how or what to say to Joohyun, she didn’t know how such a small person could have such a big impact on her life. Recently she found herself canceling her plans just to text or hang out with her. She wondered if she knew how much of a hold she had over her. One thing was for sure, she wanted to keep seeing her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer but was fun to write. :)  
> twt: akuma__jpg  
> DMs open for suggestions :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter :\\. I don't really know how I want to continue the story, it might be a while before the next update since I'm working on other fics, but thank you for supporting me :) Don't forget to vote Red Velvet on Choeaedol, we need to close that gap!

The air around her was cold, uncomfortable, and a bit morbid. Joohyun coming into view seemed to calm her down, taking a deep breath before the young lawyer takes a seat across from her, cups in hand. Seulgi wouldn’t feel so uneasy if she just hadn’t checked her twitter this morning, she knew she was somewhat big in the industry and people would occasionally report on her lifestyle. But why’s there have to be  _ so many _ articles this time? 

The press went nuts over her and Joohyun at the gala, multiple media sites going crazy over how “Korea’s hottest bachelorette” was now taken. Headlines read  _ “Who’s the woman that’s captured COO of SM’s heart?”, “COO of SM settling down?”, “SM’s daughter spotted with a mystery woman.” _ . She didn’t want to drag Joohyun into this, she was just a normal person who unwillingly signed up for a life under the spotlight and Seulgi didn’t want to subject her to a life answering to the media. 

“What’d you get?” Joohyun asks, looking over to the half-eaten pastries on the table.

“Just some snacks.” She needed to address the elephant in the room. “...Joohyun if you don’t want anything to do with me I understand.” She said over a hushed voice, being in the semi-crowded cafe on a Sunday afternoon. They weren’t near any cameras but she wanted to be cautious in case of any nosy reporters.

“Seulgi, I’m not going to break up with you over a couple of weird articles written about us.” Joohyun laughs.

“Just wanted to make sure, wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable…”

“It’s fine, honestly. That much I can handle,”

“But if you-”

“Seulgi, being with you is much more important than how the media portrays me, good or bad.” She lays her hand over Seulgi’s. 

Feeling at peace, she softly smiles at Joohyun. Finishing her bread happily with her girlfriend by her side. God, it felt good to say  _ girlfriend _ , even if it was inside her head most of the time. She just knew that whatever the future held, it held Joohyun.

___

Feeling butterflies in her stomach, Seulgi never really knew how to approach things like this. She and Joohyun had been together for a year by now and she was planning on asking her to move in, but that was the hardest part. Asking. Her clammy hands clutching the key in her pocket as she watched Joohyun walk down from her apartment and get into the car, this time it was a grey Audi R8 her dad bought her when she became the CEO of SM. 

Moving in together would be a big step for them since Joohyun had been roommates with Seungwan since college. Seulgi had never lived with anyone but her parents and she only lived with them up until high school. Needless to say, she was nervous. From an outsider’s point of view, Joohyun had no reason to say no, they’ve been together for a while and were obviously in love. But Seulgi was near biting her nails at this point thinking,  _ what if she doesn’t want to, what if she thinks we’re moving too fast? _

“Seulgi-ah?”

“Huh?” She hadn’t realized that she was zoned out the entire car ride to their favorite restaurant, the restaurant where they had their first date. 

“Are you okay? You’ve been quiet the whole ride here…”

“Oh yeah, sorry still kind of in work mode.” She lies. 

The now-married Jeongyeon greets them at the entrance, with an elated Nayeon attached to her hip, sporting a modest baby bump. Engaging in a short conversation/catch-up about their lives, Joohyun and Seulgi were seated. Seulgi’s eyes fixed on the hangul written all over the menu placed under her nose, while Joohyun peacefully sipped her white wine. Work had been a bit tough on Joohyun. These days, her desk was overflowing with case files and court documents and tonight was the first night she spent away from her desk. 

“What looks good?” Gaze pointed toward the woman sitting across from her in the dim-lit restaurant. 

“Hmmm, deciding between the pork shumai and the steamed chicken feet…” Completely forgetting what she was supposed to ask her girlfriend. 

“Ooh, can we get some scallion noodles too.”

“Of course.”

They ate like normal, basking in the calm ambiance surrounding them. Until it hit her, she forgot.  _ Damnit Seulgi, you have the memory of a goldfish!  _ She scolded herself, hands claming up again and tightly gripping her utensils.  _ If I don’t ask now, I’ll forget again. _

“Joohyun,”

“Yeah?”

“Would you… like to, uh…”

“Yes, Seulgi? I’m waiting,” She looks up at her impatiently.

“Would you l-like to move in with me. I mean, it’s the practical thing to do and we’d get to see each other more. I know you’re used to having a roommate, so it’d be like that but-”

“Seulgi, Seulgi calm down.” Joohyun was grinning at an apprehensive bear. “It would be a dream living with you.”

Seulgi had always had a pit of anxiety sitting in her head and stomach, but Joohyun always comforted and reassured her that she was ok. Shoulders slumping in relief, she feels like there are way too many instances where she gets nervous when asking Joohyun things. Maybe someday those feelings will dissipate. 

“Thank god, didn’t really prepare for a rejection.” Seulgi sighed

Joohyun laughing was Seulgi’s favorite sound. Hands linked the whole time after their dinner, walking along the Han river at night made Seulgi’s heart feel so full.

___

Opening the door to Sooyoung and Seungwan’s apartment only to be attacked by a little person upon entrance. A short person hugged Joohyun’s legs and let out a small scream.

“Yah! Get back here Chaeyoung!” She heard Sooyoung’s voice echo loudly through the halls. Joohyun made a move to pick up the jittery toddler, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Hi Auntie!” The little girl had her long brown hair in pigtails and was still in her pajamas. 

An irritated looking Sooyoung emerges from Chaeyoung’s bedroom, “Yah, Park Chaeyoung, you’re still not dressed.” 

On then did Seulgi see a napping Seungwan on their couch, too focused on her fiancee gushing over the child. “Oh, hi guys. Sorry.” Seungwan quickly gets up, placing her hand on her wife’s shoulder. 

“Chaeyoung, I know you’re excited to see your Unnies, but you need to get dressed.” Seungwan reminded the cute kindergartener. 

“Ok, mommy,” Chaeyoung replied, running to her room. 

“Ugh, she never listens to me.” Sooyoung runs a tired hand through her hair. 

About 2 months after Sooyoung and Seungwan got married, they adopted Chaeyoung. Normally, the Korean adoption process takes a lot longer but being the new COO of SM, Sooyoung pulled some strings and donated some money… They’ve been a family for a couple of years now, where Seulgi and Irene just recently got engaged. 

Between managing and the whole company and being the head of her own firm, the two agreed to have a small simple wedding. Inviting only close friends and family, instead of making it a whole press bonanza. 

All turning their heads, they hear loud singing coming from Chaeyoungs room. Peeking in from the doorway, they see the little girl holding a hairbrush, singing along to “So Hot” by the Wonder Girls, completely forgetting her favorite Aunties were over. 

“She’s cute.” Joohyun stares adoringly at the singing Chaeyoung.

“Yeah, you say that now but wait till she does that at 5 in the morning.” Sooyoung groans. 

“Well, thank you guys for watching her while we go out.” Seungwan changes the topic, closing the door and letting their daughter have her moment. 

“No problem, you guys will probably be doing the same thing for us,” Seulgi said without thinking, choosing not to look at Joohyun’s shocked face. 

Quickly putting on their coats, the couple rushes out their house for the first time in a while. Leaving a still frozen Joohyun and oblivious Seulgi alone in their apartment. 

“You want kids?”

“Umm...” Seulgi thinking to chose her next words carefully. “Yes, it doesn’t have to be now or soon, but eventually.” She says calmly. 

Joohyun leans her head on the taller girl’s shoulder and closes her eyes, Chaeyoung’s voice still scream-singing in her room. “Me too.”

After chasing Chaeyoung around the penthouse for a couple of hours, the little person lays passed out in her princess themed room. “They weren’t kidding, she’s a ball of pure energy.” 

“Yeah, you’re telling me. And what’s with all the avocado plushes? I thought she didn’t like them?” Seulgi was slumped over on the couch, trying to catch her breath. 

It was 10:30 and Seungwan and Sooyoung were supposed to be home soon, so Joohyun and Seulgi took refuge on their couch, watching some k-drama her dad showed them. 

The door quietly opened, and a very drunk Sooyoung hobbled, being helped by Seungwan. “Have fun?” Joohyun teased, turning the volume of their show down. 

“Someone had a bit too much fun and got drank $200 worth of red wine,” Seungwan grumbled. 

Seulgi took the responsibility of carrying her drunk friend up to her room, struggling up the stairs. “Old habits die hard, huh?” Sooyoung burped as she got under the covers. 

“Thanks for watching Chae, again.” Seungwan let out, getting a bottle of water from the fridge as Joohyun and Seulgi gathered their belongings. 

Getting ready for bed once they arrived at their apartment, Seulgi daydreams of who their kid was going to resemble. _Me? Joohyun? Neither or both? Do we even want to carry? Are we going to adopt? What’s going to be their name?_ _We’re not even married yet._ Screaming in the face of uncertainty, Seulgi just sighs and shakes her head. 

The storm in her head was calmed when Joohyun scooted closer to her in her sleep, pressing her face into her shoulder. Once again reminded that whatever was going to happen, they’d deal with it together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @akuma__jpg  
> DMs open for any suggestions :)


	9. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END OF AN ERA! This was really fun to write and I'm glad to see that people enjoyed it! This was my first time writing a fic and I plan on writing many more, so stay tuned :)  
> (P.S the Chaeyoung in this story is BP Chaeyoung, not TW Chaeyoung, just to clarify).

Closing her laptop and taking in a deep breath, the sounds of laughter and feet landing on crunchy fall grass fills her ears. Outside Seulgi was chasing their daughter in the backyard, she was thankful to have been blessed with a wonderful little family. Feeling content on the lazy Sunday, it was a nice break from the hectic workdays she and Seulgi spend trying to juggle driving Jisoo to school and her ballet practice. 

When she was pregnant, she was deathly afraid of giving birth, having heard about so many hospital nightmares. But Seungwan and Sooyoung assured her it was going to be much easier than she was imagining. Which was a lie, pushing a seven-pound baby out of her was far from a walk in the park, but she believed it at the time. 

Seulgi was a nervous wreck during the pregnancy, not letting her lift a finger in fear of overworking herself. She wasn’t allowed to carry anything too heavy or cook which meant they either ate out or Seulgi making something, and with Seulgi burning everything she touched, they ate out a lot. 

“Yah! Jisoo Turtle Rabbit Kang! Get back here!” She heard her wife yell, followed by the sound of little giggles. 

Jisoo was perfect. Joohyun was convinced she was the cutest 3 year old on the planet. Since Jisoo was born, their house was constantly filled with laughter. She had Seulgi’s bright smile and Joohyun’s nose but was very different from them personality-wise. Jisoo was a little jokester, she loved giving people random cute nicknames (Seulgi became teddy and Joohyun was rabbit), she had beautiful heart-shaped lips, and she definitely didn’t inherit any of her or Seulgi’s no-jam habits. Jisoo was a master teaser and Sooyoung takes pride in that, saying she did right by babysitting the young Kang when the two were too busy. Eventually, Joohyun had to take some time off work just to watch her, afraid she and the COO were becoming too alike. 

Joohyun’s parents pampered Jisoo more than she and Seulgi did (if that was even possible). Once a week, her mom would facetime them just to see Jisoo’s cute little baby face and Yerim often visited, taking time away from the restaurant, to see them. Jisoo brought so much light into their lives. 

Seulgi did butt heads with her dad a bit after he insisted Jisoo take on the company after her. She fought and decided she wanted Jisoo to follow her own path and make her own choices. If she wanted to work for SM, it would be her own choice. After she had taken ownership of SM, she made lots of changes. The corporation now fit her vision and agenda, she was really starting to enjoy the art of business and working there for once in her life, regardless of what her father wanted for her. 

Walking out to the lush green backyard of their large house, Joohyu leaned against the door frame, watching Seulgi and Jisoo try to make flower crowns. 

“Omo, Jisoo how’re you so good at that?” Seulgi’s looked more like a sad string of flowers than a crown. 

“You’re just doing it wrong, mommy.”

Joohyun taking a seat next to her daughter as Seulgi frowns at her failed attempt. 

“Here you go umma, I made this for you.” Jisoo held the delicate crown up to her. 

“Why thank you Ms.Turtle Rabbit.” She lets the tiny 3-year old put it on her head.

Putting her flowers down on, Seulgi gives up and leans her head on her wife’s shoulder. 

___

Coming home later than she intended, Seulgi collapsed on the couch for a couple of minutes. Getting up to see where everyone was, she walked in the house office to see Jisoo passed out in Joohyun’s lap while she was working on her computer. 

“Want me to put her to bed?” She whispered, careful as to not wake up the young Kang. 

Her wife peacefully nodding as she moved to pick her up from her lap. Tucking Jisoo in, she planted a small kiss on her forehead before leaving the room, almost tripping over her stuffed animals. 

Joohyun was sitting at the dining table, papers now scattered there instead of in the office, Seulgi takes a seat across from her. 

“Sorry I was late today.” Her forehead was glued to the table. 

“It’s okay, I know you’re working hard.” She reassured her, still filling out paperwork. 

“I promise I’ll try to get home earlier. What’d you guys do?”

“We just ate and watched tv, nothing special. Oh, and Seungwan and Sooyoung are coming over tomorrow.”

“And Chaeyoung?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing, she’s just really loud for a 5-year-old.”

“Hmm, that we can agree on. She gets it from Seungwan.” 

Spending the rest of the night huddled together on their couch, watching more k-drama her dad recommended (she was convinced that watching tv is all he did now). It felt nice to finally spend time together, taking a break from their jobs just to be with one another. 

___

Seulgi woke up in a literal zoo, Jisoo and Chaeyoung ran into their room and started jumping on the bed, occasionally jumping on the sleeping CEO. Joohyun got up earlier, anticipating the arrival of Sooyoung and Seungwan. She decided not to wake her wife, knowing the late nights she’s had to work recently. 

As soon as Sooyoung pulled up to their driveway, Chaeyoung sprinted to the door. Joohyun opened it with a greeting smile and the little Park barreled in and made a beeline for Jisoo’s room. 

“Sorry, she’s really excited to see Jisoo.” Seungwan apologies at their daughter’s antics. 

Jisoo and Chaeyoung using her bed as a trampoline forced her to wake up. 

“ROAR!” She emerged from the covers, in a playful manner. The two girls squealing and running out of the master bedroom. 

“Yah! Kang Seulgi, get your sorry butt down here!” She heard Sooyoung from downstairs. 

After getting dressed and brushing her teeth, she climbed down the stairs to see Sooyoung being attacked by two kids while Seungwan and Joohyun were peacefully having tea in the kitchen island. 

“Jichu! We got a dog! Her name is Haetnimmie and she’s so cute! But mom wouldn’t let me bring her.” Seulgi was always amazed at how Chaeyoung could switch from smiling so hard her eyes closed to frowning in such a short amount of time. 

“Woah! I really, really, really, really want a dog too. But my mommy is afraid of them, so she said we can’t get one.” Seeing Jisoo’s lethal pout made Seulgi want to give her five puppies on the spot, but Joohyun was deathly afraid of animals. 

“Good morning.” She kissed her wife on the cheek. “And hello Seungwan.”

“Hey Seul, how’s-”

“Mommy, can we pleeease get a dog? We can get a small one, a not scary one. Pleeeeeese.” Jisoo was clinging to Seulgi’s pant legs. 

“Jisoo,” Joohyun warned.

“Pleeeeeease, I’ll take care of it, I’ll love it. Pleeeeeese.” 

That did it for Seulgi, too much cuteness as she moved to pick up the begging toddler. Giving Joohyun the same face that Jisoo was giving her. 

Signing into her mug, “Fine, but no big dogs. Okay?”

“YAYYYYYY!” Jisoo screamed, which soon enough turned into giggles as Seulgi threw her in the air and caught her. 

“We can go look at dogs later today, okay Sooya?” 

“Thank you, mommies!” She yelled, planting a wet kiss on Seulgi’s cheek before running off with Chaeyoung to her room. 

“I can never say no to her.” Joohyun sighed in defeat. 

___

Jisoo was almost too excited and squirmy for Joohyun to be able to buckle her into her car seat. Seulgi called her secretary, who gave her the address to the dog adoption charity her company donates too. Driving to one of their locations in Seoul and parking her expensive tesla, Jisoo nearly jumped out of the car. Running in the direction of the building, Seulgi had to chase after her. 

Sprinting down the whole block, they arrived at the adoption event, panting while Jisoo stood on her tippy toes to peer over the front counter. Joohyun taking that as a cue to pick her up, she moved to them to the side while Seulgi talked to the receptionist. 

A few minutes later and Jisoo was hugging 4 dogs at once as Joohyun used Seulgi as a human shield. Squealing in fright when a tiny poodle started barking at her feet. 

“Mommy, look! Isn’t he soooooo cute?” Jisoo was holding a small white Maltese puppy. He was sleeping in her arms and leaned against Joohyun’s palm when she went to pet him. 

Seulgi watching the interaction from afar, signaled to the employee that they’d be adopting today, and the employee giving her a curt nod before leaving to get the papers. 

After a couple of hours of Jisoo playing with her new dog at the adoption place, they decided to head home. Seulgi was quick to scoop up Jisoo when they arrived, the young girl passed out in the car, tired from a day of playing. That meant Joohyun had to take the new dog inside since Seulgi’s hands were full. 

Cautiously walking the pup inside, looking at Jisoo who sat straight up on the couch, rubbing sleep from her eyes and looking around for her new friend. 

“Jisoo-yah, have you decided on a name yet?” She unleashes the dog that runs into their daughter’s arms. 

“Mhm.” She says firmly. “Dalgom.”

“Dalgom?”

“Yup! Dalgom, because his fur is white and he looks so cute, like a bear.”

“I thought I was the bear?” Seulgi pouted, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

“You can both be bears!” Jisoo offered brightly. 

Grabbing some popcorn from the pantry, Joohyun brought snacks to the two Kangs sitting on her couch, deeply consumed in a Disney movie with Dalgom drifting off into sleep on her lap. Tightly hugging Seulgi’s arm, she was happy with this new addition to her little family and only wished for Jisoo to make her own when she grows up. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @akuma__jpg

**Author's Note:**

> twt: @h3lpc3nt3r  
> DMs open for any suggestions :)


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